Photo: Dandenong City
Dandenong City have confirmed the sensational signing of A-League Championship winner Mate Dugandzic as the first new arrival of the Stuart Munro era while also adding Semi Sivic to the club coaching staff.
26-year-old Dugandzic moves to Frank Holohan Reserve after winning a maiden A-League title with Adelaide United in May before being released by the Reds at the conclusion of his contract.
A St Albans Saints junior, the winger made his senior debut at the age of 16 when he started for the Melbourne Knights in a 2-1 loss to the Oakleigh Cannons in July 2006.
He earned greater game time the following season under Chris Taylor as the Knights finished the regular season in second place behind the Preston Lions who eliminated their former NSL foes at the Preliminary Final stage of the completion.
The teenager’s impressive performances that campaign earned him a move to Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb alongside Knights teammate and fellow teenage sensation Daniel Visevic.
Neither of the pair featured for Dinamo under manager Zvonimir Soldo with the Australians struggling to break into the first team with at the time featured the likes of Luka Modric, Mario Mandzukic, Igor Biscan, Bosko Balaban, Ognjen Vukojevic and former Melbourne Heart striker Josip Tadic.
Instead Dugandzic made 14 appearances for Dinamo’s feeder club Lokomotiva Zagreb in the second tier, scoring six goals before returning to Somers Street ahead of the 2009 VPL Campaign.
Dugandzic was a regular for the two-time NSL Championships in an underwhelming year for the club who finished outside the finals for the first time in three seasons.
He departed the Knights at season’s end after making 56 league appearances and scoring 5 goals for the club before joining Melbourne Victory Youth and subsequently being promoted into the senior team under Ernie Merrick in the early rounds of the 2009/10 A-League season.
Dugandzic scored a brace in a 3-1 victory over Adelaide United in his starting debut for the club in October 2014 and in total scored 7 goals in 36 league games as he helped the club reach their second consecutive Grand Final only to loss to Sydney FC before departing the club at the conclusion of the following season.
An Olyroo international at the time, he was widely expected to join newly promoted Belgian top flight side Eupen at the end of his Victory stint but instead became the first player to directly transfer to Melbourne Heart from their cross town rivals.
An impressive first season at the club was followed by injury frustration in the next season as he sustained a long-term knee injury in a Round 7 defeat away to Adelaide United which ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
He stayed at the club for a further two years but failed to recapture his sparkling form from his inaugural season in City colours, making a total of 75 league appearances for the club, scoring 13 goals.
Dugandzic subsequently joined Adelaide United but was primarily used as a substitute under Guillermo Amor as the Reds broke their Grand Final hoodoo by defeating the Western Sydney Wanderers 3-1 at Adelaide Oval.
Dandenong City President Tony Dorotic was delighted with Dugandzic’s capture with the veteran of 129 A-League games linking up with former Knights teammate Dario Matkovic at the NPL2 East club.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be able to announce the signing of Mate as he is the biggest name to sign with the club since Ante Milicic played with us in 2010. I’m sure when the news gets out our supporters and members will be equally excited and Stuart [Munro] had no hesitation in approving the signing when he heard of his availability.”
He becomes Hajduk’s first signing of the off-season as the club aims to achieve promotion to the top-flight in 2017 after finishing third in NPL2 East in the past two seasons.
In further club news, former Richmond full-back and Port Melbourne assistant coach Semi Sivic has taken up the vacant 20s role at City having being involved with the coaching set-up at the Sharks for the past four years.
“We are thrilled to have someone of Semi’s calibre and experience at the club. He brings with him a blend of playing and coaching experience which we know our up and coming 20s will most certainly benefit from” Dorotic added.
The 28 year-old is the older brother of City central midfielder Enes Sivic who joined the club last season and proved to be a regular starter for Aaron Healey’s side over the course of 2016.