‘He can go a long way’: Reds legend sees Europe, Socceroos in Gauci’s future

Adelaide United legend Eugene Galekovic says Joe Gauci’s potential could take him as far as he wishes to go in the game, with European football and the Socceroos’ number one jersey not out of the 21-year-old’s reach. 

Gauci is flourishing in the Isuzu UTE A-League under the guidance of Galekovic, the current Reds goalkeeping coach who sees his progression in the game purely dependent on how hard the young custodian is willing to work for his opportunities.

Galekovic has seen nothing but promising signs since Gauci’s arrival at the club in late 2020.

“He’s a pretty calm kind of character,” Galekovic told KEEPUP. “If you see him on the pitch, he’s like that off the pitch.

“But in training, you can see he does things at 100 miles an hour – and that’s how I like him to train. He goes 100 miles an hour, he gives everything, if he makes a mistake he’s upset with himself, he wants to do better and that’s what I like about him.

“He wants to keep improving, you see sometimes after training maybe he’s a little bit disappointed because he knows he could have done better. 

“That’s credit to him, I think he’s improved immensely over the last two years I’ve had him. Game time does help, but it’s also what you did in training that makes game time a lot easier as a goalkeeper.”

GET YOUR TICKETS TO SEE GAUCI AND THE REDS TAKE ON CITY AT AAMI PARK ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Gauci made headlines on Wednesday night for his pivotal performance for Adelaide in a 0-0 semi-final draw with A-League Men Premiers Melbourne City. In the first of two legs, Gauci ensured his side remained on level terms heading to Victoria for the return leg at AAMI Park on Sunday. 

One more big shift from Gauci could see the Reds book a shock place in the 2021-22 Grand Final.

These are key steps in the 21-year-old’s development.

With one season remaining on his contract, Gauci’s immediate future is tied up with the Reds. Galekovic ponders what may lay beyond: “He can go far. I don’t want to put a ceiling on where he can get to. 

“But right now, he’s one of the top goalkeepers in the A-League, he’s been in the mix around the Socceroos setup, and he’s still very young. 

“Obviously there’s Europe, there’s a national team squad, there’s a national team number one there, where you look at it he’s very young, so he’s got a future of a good 16, 17 years ahead of him.

“But steps in football are important; how long do you stay at Adelaide United for? When do you go to the next step, if it’s Europe or wherever? These are the decisions he’s got to make. What I do with him: I guide him. But it’s up to players to want to do the work – and he’s doing the work – so I have no questions, he can go a long way.”

A product of South Australian club West Torrens Birkalla, Gauci was no stranger to Coopers Stadium in his formative years, joining the Reds faithful in the stands in support of the Reds.

He was 15 years old when Adelaide last faced Melbourne City in a home semi-final; Galekovic was in goal for the Reds on that day in 2016. Club captain and key custodian, on his way to securing his legendary Reds status by lifting the club’s first Isuzu UTE A-League Championship trophy nine days later.

Six years have passed since that night at Hindmarsh. Gauci, now 21, dons the gloves for the Reds. Galekovic is his goalkeeping coach; a hero turned mentor helping develop his undeniable talent. 

Galekovic at Coopers Stadium for Adelaide’s 4-1 semi-final win over City.

On Wednesday night Gauci faced City in a Coopers Stadium semi-final, keeping Socceroos quartet Marco Tilio, Andrew Nabbout, Jamie Maclaren and Mathew Leckie at bay on his way to securing a clean sheet. 

He spoke to KEEPUP that night about what it meant: “Coopers Stadium is a great environment to play football. The fans are amazing,” Gauci said.

“The last semi-final, the chance to get in the Grand Final, I was here as a fan and watching Eugene. It’s good to have him as a coach now, it’s something special.”

Galekovic departed Adelaide in 2017 after a decade spent in the City of Churches. He would return two years later to join the club’s coaching staff.

Gauci was at City, after a stint at Central Coast Mariners, continuing to develop his game through his late teens. But the Reds were eager to sign a pair of young goalkeepers; the following season Galekovic helped to bring both Gauci and James Delianov through the doors at the club. 

“I knew of him when he was playing as a 16-year-old,” Galekovic told KEEPUP. “He was training with the youth team, or trialling and he sometimes trained with us in the senior team at times.

I knew of him. I knew the name, that we was at Central Coast and Melbourne City, I kind of kept tabs on him while I was a coach.

“I knew he’d be up with the intensity side of things, because he’s trained with some good players. It was just getting him to that level where he can play games at that level.”

Delianov and Gauci exchanged the role of number one through their first season at the club, with injuries to both keepers giving both a run in the senior side. But it was a shoulder injury to Delianov early in the 2021-22 campaign that opened the door for Gauci to make the top job his own.

“They came in both of them, played some games and have both done well – and Joey lately has just taken his opportunity,” Galekovic said.

The threat to any player’s progression once they’re part of the furniture in a side’s preferred XI is complacency; Galekovic sees nothing of the sort in Gauci, whose attitude after games is showing his eagerness to improve – even after an outstanding shift such as the one he put in against City on Wednesday.

“Joey’s a character where he loves asking questions,” he said. “He loves feedback where he can improve. He came up to me straight after the game and we talked about it just in general.

“I think his shot-stopping, his positioning on shots was sensational.

“You look at the saves he made, I look at the positioning – and he’s in the right spot at the right time. 

“A lot of balls hit him, or he makes easy saves but he does easy saves because he’s in the right spot.

“I know Joe’s personality, he wants to know things to make life easier on the weekend.”

The next challenge now presents to Gauci: a trip to AAMI Park with intention to dispatch the Premiers and reach the Grand Final.

Galekovic’s task is to prepare his young gloveman for what’s to come. 

But despite going all the way with the Reds in 2016, Galekovic says he won’t be leaning on his decorated past to inspire Gauci’s near future. 

“I don’t bring my own experiences up,” he said. “These guys have got to forge their own careers, and create their own success.

“But I’ve tried to give him tips from when I used to play, and help him that way. In how they think in big games, going into big games calm rather than giving them too much information. 

“This week was just another game; I didn’t change anything, I just wanted him to go in there like he has, same mentality, cool and collected and go about it like it’s another game.

“Sometimes as a player it’s hard to think that way when there’s so much at stake, but that’s the thing that has got us here and you’ve got to treat it the same way.”