Image: Con Deves
Coach: Dom Barba
2016 finish: 10th in NPL, FFA Cup Round 7 (defeated by Melbourne Knights)
Summary: It was a season of two halves for Port Melbourne last season with a strong start for Eric Vassiliadis’ men followed by a slump post mid-season where player departures and negative results hampered progress. However they did enough by the season’s end to ensure survival with a few crucial wins and draws towards the back end of the campaign.
Ins: Michael McGowan (Redlands United), Kobbie Boahene (Box Hill United), Christopher Cristaldo (Melbourne City), Philippe Bernabo-Madrid (Olympic FC), Brendan White (Redlands United), Nikola Kostadinoski (Moreland Zebras), Andreas Govas (Bulleen Lions), Calvin Mbarga (Selgaocar), Francesco Stella (South Melbourne), Fraser Hills (Brisbane Strikers), Milos Ilic (Northcote City), Jordon Lampard (Gold Coast City)
Outs*: Adrian Zahra (Heidelberg United), Alec Goodwin (Northcote City), Trent Manicas (Northcote City), Shaun Kelly (Dandenong City), Andrew Viola (Richmond SC), Michael Stark (Altona Magic), Erhaz Yalaz (Kingston City), James Riccobene (Avondale FC), David Stirton (Dandenong City), Tyler James (Moreland City)
*Takanori Nishimoto, John Maclean and Jason Shade were pre-season arrivals but have since departed.
Re-signed: Alan Kearney, Bonel Obradovic, James Karvelis
***
Player Q&A: James Karvelis
How’s pre-season going? Where have you been with the team?
Our pre-season has been going really well, Dom has been challenging us by introducing a fitness and conditioning coach who has pushed us to the best we can. We travelled last week to Tasmania to play two games over the weekend, having lost one and won the other we played very well together considering the squad is pretty much brand new. We also recently just played against Adelaide Comets and won 1-0, being a defender it was good to get the clean sheet and the win too of course.
What have the club’s pre-season results been?
Won against South Hobart, lost to Hobart Olympic. Defeated Adelaide Comets. Beat Brunswick and Moreland Zebras. Lost to Hume City and North Geelong Warriors.
How are the new signings settling in?
The new signings have settled in great both on and off the park. In particular Michael McGowan and Jordon Lampard have stood out most for me with a solid pre-season under their belt.
Who are the Port Melbourne players to watch in 2017 (new or existing) and why?
I would say Chris Cristaldo is one to watch this year, he’s dangerous going forward, fast on the wings and has a great shot on him. Another one would have to be Andreas Govas, he has great passing abilities, awareness and a good strike of the ball as shown in our practise match, scoring the winning free kick.
Who are the some of the bigger characters off the pitch and why?
Alan Kearney and Bonel Obradovic for me have been great characters off the pitch, I feel with their experience and knowledge of the game, having them there has helped the boys through the gruelling sessions, they show great signs of leadership and are good role models to have for us younger boys.
How’s Dom Barba been preparing the squad?
Dom Barba has been preparing the squad to ensure we all work well and hard for each other. As every team should have, there is competition for starting spots all around the team which I feel has brought out the best in the boys’ performances. I have to give Dom credit, he has done really well in bringing us all together, being pretty much a brand new team.
Which team/player are you most looking forward to facing this year?
Personally I look forward to playing every single club, there are strong sides every year so I can only approach matches like I have been and that’s just focusing on myself and the boys around me. It will obviously be good to play against my former club Kingston City and good friend Damian Iaconis who has a big year ahead of him.
Which opposition club(s) have impressed you most in pre-season?
All of our opposition during the pre-season has been challenging in different areas, whether it was a physical game like Brunswick City or a technical game like Hume City, we’ve done the best to focus on ourselves and to help improve for round 1.
What are the expectations/objectives in 2017?
Our objective would be the same as most other teams, we want to make finals and also have a good FFA cup run, it’s going to be difficult considering the quality of opposition in both competitions but we look forward to the challenge.