There comes a moment in Heidelberg United’s away clash at Green Gully when captain Luke Byles lets fire at young fullback Milos Ilic for being out of position.
The 18-year-old was up against prolific winger Nick Krousoratis, and while his opponent had gotten the better of him that time, fellow centre-back Steven Pace was on hand to help rectify the situation.
That’s the steep learning curve of playing alongside a pair of defenders who were involved in the sport before Ilic was born, and who have seen it all in Victorian football.
In fact, combine Heidelberg’s centre-back pairing – by the end of this year, Pace will be 33 and Byles 32 – and you have 65 years of experience (still less than Gully’s 71 between Vargas’ 38 and Jones’ 33) compared to Ilic, who will turn 19 in 2016.
After being substitued in the second half, Ilic was still congratulated by coach George Katsakis, with the team’s off-field friendships resuming after the heat of battle died down – in the end, Gully and Heidelberg had to settle for a 0-0 draw as both defences got the better of each other over the majority of the 90 minutes.
So while this story didn’t begin with a monumental achievement or a feel-good narrative, it’s a reminder of the reality facing young players wanting to make the grade – that the highest standard of dedication and determination is required to regularly succeed at such a level.
“As a young player that’s part of the game, you’ve got to accept it, you’ve got to take it, try to take it on board,” Ilic says.
“Some stuff goes goes in one ear and through the other, but I’ve got to take the positives from it and with those guys there, they’re probably the most experienced players you’ve got in the league, so you’ve got to listen to everything and try your best to take it on board and learn from it.”
What has been impressive this campaign is the teenager’s three appearances in the league so far, emerging as one of the young players to keep an eye on in the NPL this season.
It’s marked a steady rise for the fullback, who is now in his third year at Olympic Village since making the switch from Whittlesea.
Senior promotion has been just reward for the 20s captain, who is battling new recruit Josh Wilkins for a hole ar right-back vacated by Daniel Vasilevski – another stalwart of Victorian football.
“It’s been a good experience. I started at the club in the 18s, from there I went up to the 20s after a week or so, the next year I started as the captain, and from there it progressed a bit more into the seniors” he says.
“The more chances I got given, I think I’ve proven myself and got into the squad and it’s a good feeling.
“I’ve been training hard, trying to obviously progress as a player, cut out the mistakes and it’s been paying off.
Ilic admits the step up to the seniors had opened his eyes, with the speed of the game requiring adjustment.
But Katsakis has kept the faith in the youngster so far, who hasn’t let his manager down yet on the pitch when given an opportunity.
“It’s been a big step from the 20’s. Looking at the other leagues, the top flight of Victoria is definitely the strongest,” Ilic says.
“Today was definitely a big challenge, definitely felt like the quickest game so far.
“I was under the pump a lot, I had to try to adjust and try manage through it. Whether I did a good job, I don’t know, probably not my strongest game.
“But definitely an insane league, the speed – it’s a lot harder, a lot quicker, you’ve just got to adjust week by week.”
Ilic admits that his progress has surpassed his expectations so far, but he only plans to continue aiming higher now, having been given a taste of top flight football.
“At the start of the year I didn’t even think I’ve been coming in so early, I wanted at least a half a dozen games and to do well,” he says.
“I’m on three games already and there’s three to go so I’ve got to set the bar higher, obviously you want to be a starting player week in week out, go home and prepare for next week’s game.”
Image: Graeme Furlong