“We were concerned about the numbers missing today, however, we bank on our depth and the way that we’ve put together this squad. We were very confident that the kids coming in would do a job.”
George Katsakis beamed as he spoke post the 6-1 drubbing of Melbourne Knights on Sunday afternoon when questioned about the young charges drafted in to replace the senior first team players unavailable for their crunch match at Olympic Village.
“It wasn’t much to our surprise because the reason I brought them in is for that reason, to be a part of this squad equally. They’ve managed to deliver today, so credit goes to the boys who got a gig today.”
While a 6-0 defeat at the hands of bitter rivals South Melbourne would be reason enough to ring in the changes, Katsakis’ decision was made for him with a number of forced changes created in the aftermath of the loss at Lakeside Stadium.
Out came Andreas Govas and Josh Wilkins before half-time, as did keeper Chris Theodoridis who was given his marching orders for bringing down Matt Millar in the 18-yard-box.
Kaine Sheppard fell late in the piece, while Sean Ellis was another unexpected out, as he fell victim to a training ground injury.
With the odds stacked against the Bergers, Katsakis turned to a number of youngsters and some talented fringe players to turn around their fortunes.
Not in his wildest imagination would he have expected the performance he got from a squad missing five first team players, and the coach will be left with a large selection dilemma ahead of their home game against Pascoe Vale next weekend.
“I said to the boys at full-time, they now have to convince me that they need to play through this week’s training performance, and we’ll see how they react to that.
“People like Sean Ellis, Harry Noon and Josh Wilkins, all the boys that have missed out at the moment, are all a vital part of what we’re doing. It’s a long season, we’ve got FFA Cup commitments coming up so they’ll all be given their opportunity.
“That just shows the quality and depth that we have at the moment, that we’re able to achieve what we did today without them is a massive positive as a club.”
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Pierce Clark (in for the suspended Chris Theodoridis)
The young shot-stopper remains a bit different to those others on this list, as he was fully aware that he’d be making his full-debut for his club, given the red card dished out to number one Chris Theodoridis in last week’s heavy loss to South Melbourne. He played like his life was on the line; vocal and not afraid to meet crosses and balls floated into the 18-yard-box. He made a number of strong saves across the 90 minutes and will draw plenty of confidence from his performance; whether or not he retains his spot next week is yet to be determined.
Coaches thoughts: “Absolutely fantastic, I couldn’t ask for much more from young Pierce. He’s just turned 18 years old and we’ve brought him out of an environment where there was limited footballing opportunity for him and today he’s shone. He was in the limelight today and has now played at NPL level here in Victoria where it’s a very strong competition – and I think he’s excelled. Good luck to the kid because it’s deserved.” -George Katsakis
Captains thoughts: “Obviously massive credit for the young boy in goal, it’s going to give Kats [George Katsakis] a few headaches. It was fantastic to see him coming out, commanding his area and he made some great saves. That’s all I can ask from a goalkeeper.” -Luke Byles
Milos Ilic (in for the injured Josh Wilkins)
Young defender Milos Ilic was drafted into the starting line-up for Josh Wilkins – someone signed very much as a first team player – but now Katsakis will be forced into a real decision: should Wilkins get up for next week’s clash against Pascoe Vale, who starts? Ilic was immense on the right of defence, complementing the brute force of Steven Pace and Luke Byles through the centre with his fearless defending, winning a large majority of his aerial duels, while also sweeping clear to deny Stipo Andrijacevic on the goal line. While the Knights’ goal may have come from his flank, his performance throughout was one that left the onlookers at Olympic Village highly impressed.
Coaches thoughts: “I think Milos delivered his message loud and clear that he’s basically put Josh Wilkins on notice now. That’s what we’re trying to create at this club, we’re creating a culture where we know you have to work fairly hard to earn the position and game time. That’s what it’s about, creating an environment where you need to fight for your position.”
Kostas Kanakaris (in for the injured Sean Ellis)
An injury midweek to versatile forward Sean Ellis saw a change in structure up top. Reuben Way moved from the right to fill the void on the left, with Kanakaris slipping into an inside forward role on the opposite flank. He did his duty to perfection, popping inboard to slot home two opening half goals and put his side right into ascendency. Could have had a hat-trick in the second half but opted to round the keeper instead of firing an early shot.
Coaches thoughts: “Kostas has come in and scored two goals, taken the initiative and did exceptionally well after an interrupted pre-season for other reasons. He’s bounced back and that’s a true sign of a good character. That’s something that I was exceptionally pleased with.”
Captains thoughts: “Kostas has scored two lovely goals. He’s come back into the side and done fantastic for us today.”
Kenny Athiu (in for the injured Kaine Sheppard)
While we’ve always known of the raw talent that Athiu possesses, stemming back from his Box Hill United days, he’s always been forced to play second fiddle. Last year it was to Dan Heffernan and Kaine Sheppard, while he started this season on the bench with Katsakis opting for a one-striker formation. Off the bench last week he was a handful, and with Sheppard set for a spell on the sidelines with surgery booked for this week, the performance of Athiu on the weekend is one that’d have his coach stressing much less about the absence of his star English striker. He provided an x-factor and was too quick to mark for a stagnant Knights defence.
Coaches thoughts: “Kenny indicated to the football world at this level that he’s a handful to mark. The input that he had in the game today in bringing people into the play was exceptional. That’s another side to our ability to build in the final third, a little bit different to Kaine Sheppard but he does offer something different, which today he put into effect.
“We never doubted that Kenny couldn’t step up, unfortunately because of the system we play, we couldn’t fit him in. Now that Kaine is set to undergo surgery mid-week and is set to miss three to four weeks, that gives Kenny his opportunity to cement his spot in the team, then it’s up to Kaine to work hard to win it back.”
Captains thoughts: “Credit goes to Kenny, he absolutely terrorised the defence and as a defender, you don’t want to come up against someone like Kenny in that sort of form.”
Lewis Hall (in for the injured Andreas Govas)
While we may have known Lewis Hall for his supposed talent at centre-half, we saw the defender drafted in to play a holding midfield role for Heidelberg on Sunday. He did his job expertly, which worked two-fold as the normally deeper-lying Jack Petrie was allowed to roam forward and express himself in the final third more than usual. This saw him grab a delightful goal in the opening few minutes. Much was the same for Harry Noon and his half-time replacement Andrew Cartanos, who wasn’t burdened by his defensive duties, and was allowed to sit deep on the last line in support of Athiu.