As the minutes turned to seconds, Port Melbourne attempt one final surge inside the Oakleigh Cannons half as the ball breaks through to the left hand side. Sharks substitute Erhan Yalaz receives it and comes up one-on-one against fellow youngster and opposing right-back Thomas Lakic.
The 19-year-old could have opted to take the easy option by squaring the ball back to a teammate, but instead decided to take on his man – a seemingly dying trait for many wide players in Australian football. He beats Lakic before cutting the ball across goal to the onrushing Lambros Honos, only for the former Cannons playmaker to blast his shot into the post and hit the rebound off target, culminating in a lacklustre scoreless draw to open the season.
On another night, Yalaz would have been the hero, with his confident and enterprising play assisting a deserved winner for Eric Vassiliadis’ men, who had pressed the Cannons hard in the final 20 minutes in search of a late goal. Instead, on this night he was merely a spark off the bench for the Sharks, having earlier come on in the 62nd minute for Bonel Obradovic.
With Adrian Zahra currently on the sidelines through an injury, Yalaz is expected to gain valuable game time early in the season and has been encouraged to seize his opportunity in his second campaign at JL Murphy Reserve. The teenager is keen to his set goals within the senior squad this campaign.
“My main goal for the upcoming season is to be able to assist and score as many goals as I can, which can make a difference in the team,” Yalaz said.
“I feel that by working all together we can go all the way, as we have the individual and team qualities and capabilities to have a very successful season together.”
Four starts in 12 appearances last season saw Yalaz gain added senior experience, having initially made his senior debut for Oakleigh Cannons in 2014.
“It was a great learning experience as it was my first year of playing in the senior team. It felt quite different compared to the under 20’s as the players were more experienced and the games were physically faster,” he said.
Yalaz made the move to the 2001 VPL Premiers at the beginning of 2015 after spending much of 2014 with the Championship-winning Oakleigh Cannons 20s side under Sam Poutakidis. His return to Jack Edwards Reserve brought back plenty of good memories for the attacking winger, who is also capable of playing in a more central position.
“It’s always enjoyable going up against my old team as it encourages me to push myself harder. Winning the Championship in 2014 culminated a wonderful season, as winning is always a good feeling and one I hope to experience more often here at Port,” Yalaz said.
In addition to these experiences, Yalaz has also spent some time trialling in his parent’s homeland of Turkey in 2014/15 with second tier side Goztepe based in the coastal city of Izmir – the third most populous city in the country behind Istanbul and the capital Ankara.
“Overseas trails in Turkey were quite different compared to Australia as we trained ever yday with quality players. I gained a lot of skills from other players which I then have tried to take back home with me” Yalaz reflected.
One admirer of the skilful attacker is his Manager Eric Vassiliadis, who described him as an “absolute joy to coach”.
“He is a player who has sheer tenacity, speed, directness and the basic ingredients coupled with the right attitude, and the clash against Oakleigh was a reflection of how far he has come, and there is no doubt in my mind that he has got so much more potential which we hope to see this season,” Vassiliadis said.
With a full season of senior football behind him – including a memorable injury time winner against North Geelong – Yalaz is hoping to take his game to next level with the Sharks this season.
He, alongside fellow young teammates Ryan Oppermann and Alec Goodwin, are players Vassiliadis hopes to call on more often this year as Port go in search of finals football for the first time since their promotion back to the top flight in 2013.
How they fare in that pursuit in still to be decided, but there is no doubt that the output of the 19-year-old might prove pivotal, with Yalaz a potential X-factor that Vassiliadis and the coaching staff can unleash throughout the campaign.