With the 42nd edition of the Isuzu UTE A-League Sydney Derby fast approaching, aleagues.com.au sat down with Western Sydney Wanderers and CommBank Socceroos defender Alex Gersbach…
This weekend another two Isuzu UTE A-League players will be inducted into one of Australian football’s more controversial ‘clubs’ – albeit, it’s a club whose members, to quote Jose Mourinho, prefer not to speak.
Especially in the lead-up to Derby Day.
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On Saturday night, Western Sydney Wanderers players Alex Gersbach and Kosta Barbarouses will become the latest two players to have played for both Sydney FC and the Wanderers in the Sydney Derby – not that the former is keen to dredge up his Sky Blues past.
“2014 at the old Allianz. It was my first start in the A-League. But, yeah, we don’t need to talk about that too much,” smiled Gersbach.
Thankfully, after some encouragement and a chat about some of the names who have previously crossed the divide, the six-time CommBank Socceroos defender did open up on that day in front of a packed out crowd at the old Allianz Stadium.
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“It was probably a 60/40 split in those days; 60% Sydney fans at Allianz, and then 40% Wanderers fans.
“And I do remember going into the other half to take a throw-in with the Wanderers fans there.
“It was really intimidating, one of the most intimidating parts of my career was probably playing against the Wanderers. So I’m really looking forward to having them on my side this weekend.
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“Then again (playing) at the old Parramatta stadium. Obviously, I haven’t experienced a Derby at CommBank Stadium yet, but at the old stadium, it was pretty intimidating, to be honest.
“I don’t know if it feels the same from the other side, but yeah, definitely happy to have the Wanderers fans on my side this weekend.”
There are plenty of players who have played for both the Wanderers and Sydney FC, but only nine players have played for both clubs in the derby, and even then, the way Andrew Redmayne and Milos Ninkovic are viewed by their first clubs is certainly different.
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| PLAYER | DERBY APPS | FOR WSW | FOR SYD |
| Andrew Redmayne | 26 | 3 | 23 |
| Milos Ninkovic | 25 | 5 | 20 |
| Vedran Janjetovic | 18 | 8 | 10 |
| Josh Brillante | 12 | 4 | 8 |
| Bernie Ibini | 11 | 6 | 5 |
| Matt Jurman | 11 | 3 | 8 |
| Terry Antonis | 10 | 3 | 7 |
| Alex Baumjohann | 9 | 3 | 6 |
| Jack Rodwell | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Regardless of the players who have pulled on both jerseys though, in the week leading up to the Sydney Derby, there aren’t many football conversations that will take place between fans of the Sky Blue and Red and Black persuasions.
if there are conversations that take place, then there’s a good chance they won’t agree on too much.
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However, there is one topic they are likely to unite on when it comes to the Isuzu UTE A-League and its fixture list.
“I think the Sydney Derby has always been – I’m not going to say bigger, but a better spectacle, in my opinion. But obviously, people in Melbourne might disagree!” laughed Gersbach, when sitting down to chat at the club’s training base.
“I think what it does for our game is really good, and there’ll be people that aren’t even that interested in in football in general, but they’ll tune in on Saturday.
“A lot of people might think that’s a bad thing but I don’t see it as a bad thing. There are big games and big moments in every league around the world, and some are extra special.
He continued: “So I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all, as long as we keep the Sydney Derby like that and keep people interested. If it’s a spectacle for them, then that’s great. Who knows? They might really enjoy it and come back the week after.”
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Saturday night’s clash at CommBank Stadium is no doubt set to be another spectacular edition of East meets West in the Isuzu UTE A-League, and if last season’s match-ups are anything to go by, you can expect goals, given the three most recent editions of the Sydney Derby yielded 15.
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The Wanderers head into the game after bagging their first win of the season against the Mariners in Round 5 whilst Sydney FC are leading the way at the top of the ladder with four wins from five matches.
But is the old cliché true: Does form really go out the window in a derby?
“Football is so tactical at the moment,” said Gersbach, who returned to Australia in January, 2025 after a stint playing in Sweden.
“Even though it’s a massive game, and we’re going to be fired up and the fans are going to be fired up and all of that sort of thing that comes with a derby, you still win the game tactically or in moments on the pitch.
“The game is won on the pitch. So I’m definitely happy that we got the three points before going into this game, and Sydney is obviously in some good form as well.
“So I think it makes for a better spectacle that both teams are coming off a win too.”
That 3-2 win for the Wanderers over the Mariners in Round 5 saw Alen Stajcic’s side finally bag their first victory of the season having gone four games without a win to start the 2025-26 campaign.
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The timing couldn’t have been better according to Gersbach.
“When you play a few games in a row and you don’t get three points, naturally, confidence levels sort of take a bit of a dip and take a hit.
“You’ve got to dig into your self-belief a little bit more.
“I think it was playing on us a bit psychologically. It hasn’t been seven or eight or nine games, but still, four games when you play for a club like the Western Sydney Wanderers, is not acceptable.
“So, yeah, I think psychologically it was playing on our minds a little bit, whether we admit it or not. So getting that win sort of just allows us to get going with our season.”
Whilst success for the Wanderers this season remains at the forefront of Gersbach’s mind, the 28-year-old can’t help but look toward the horizon, particularly when it comes to the national team.
The dynamic full-back was a somewhat surprise call-up to a Socceroos training camp held in the UAE back in June, with head coach Tony Popovic casting his net far and wide with regards to players he wanted to take a closer look at.
For Gersbach, the call-up certainly came as a shock. After making his international debut against Greece in 2016, the defender went on to amass six caps for his country before then falling off the radar.
“No, I wasn’t expecting it,” revealed Gersbach as conversation shifted to the national team. “It’d been six or seven years since my last call-up.”
Before the Wanderers man could continue, the following question was thrown in before he had time to think: Had you given up hope?
“No, I never had. I’d given up, sort of thinking about it, because when I was younger, I must have been 21 when I sort of fell out of the Socceroos squad.
“For a few years there, it was sort of always on my mind, and I was always thinking about it. Even with like changing clubs, or if I’m not playing, I’m not gonna get called up and all that sort of stuff.
“But as I got older, I realised it’s completely out of my control. I just do what I’m doing, and if I’m playing well, then I’ll get picked. So I shifted my mindset, probably when I was 23,24,25.”
“There might have been a few moments where I felt like I was sort of close, but still nothing happened. And now I’m in that same mindset.”
Maturing as both a player and a person has no doubt helped Gersbach remain calm when it comes to trying to seal a return to the national team set-up and with it, maybe even a spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
However, the 28-year-old’s relaxed mental state also comes from the fact he believes Popovic isn’t afraid to reward Isuzu UTE A-League players with a call-up if they’re performing well domestically.
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“I think you see, like at the end of last season, the Wanderers were doing really well, and I think we had four players go to that training camp,” said Gersbach, when referencing the call-ups for then Wanderers teammates Alex Bonetig, Nicolas Milanovic and Brandon Borrello.
“At the moment, we’ve had a bad start to the season, and we’ve got zero players in the squad at the moment, minus an injured Borrello.
“So I think it’s pretty clear and obvious that if you’re doing well at your club, and if the team’s doing well, then that probably means you’re doing better, you’re playing well.
“So that’s a direct correlation. There’s really no point in thinking about the World Cup or about getting back into the national team. But I never gave up on that, and I still won’t.
“It’s cliché, but focusing on what you’re doing here and playing well and helping the team play well will only make you perform better.
“So yeah, winning games in the A-League is probably step one of getting anyone back into the national team set up.”
