Callum Talbot will need to get past his former club Sydney FC if he is to reach the Grand Final with Melbourne City. The talented full-back speaks to KEEPUP’s Sacha Pisani about how he finally answered City’s call and left Sydney.
Third time’s a charm. Just ask Callum Talbot.
Melbourne City twice tried to prise the Australia youth international to AAMI Park, but they were unsuccessful on both occasions. Having identified the 22-year-old as one of the country’s best young right-backs in the aftermath of Nathaniel Atkinson’s switch to Hearts in Scotland, the reigning premiers made a third attempt to sign the Sydney FC graduate heading into the 2022-23 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
This time, City got their man after Talbot’s three-year association with the Sky Blues reached its conclusion.
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“It was a big decision,” the 22-year-old told KEEPUP ahead of Friday night’s Semi Final second-leg showdown against former club Sydney. “City came calling when I wasn’t really playing in the first team.
“It was the third time they came knocking on the door, so it was an offer I couldn’t really turn down to come to such a great club like City.
“How they’ve performed over the past couple of years, the players they’ve produced and the young boys they’ve brought into the first team, then transitioned into overseas. It’s something I couldn’t say no to.
“It was a big jump moving away from family and friends but it was the best decision to jump out of my comfort zone.”
Talbot, who was born in Malta before relocating to Australia at the age of two, has settled in seamlessly at star-studded City.
Whether playing under Patrick Kisnorbo initially or Rado Vidosic, the Olyroo has established himself in the starting XI.
Talbot has made 26 appearances this season – 21 of those as a starter, including last week’s 1-1 draw away to Sydney. It’s the most matches he’s played throughout a career still in its infancy. Last term, he started 14 of his 17 games as the Sky Blues missed the finals for the first time in six years.
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“It’s been a really pleasant surprise, I knew the club had really high values,” he said of the move to Melbourne. “The structure is unbelievable.
“When they came calling, I couldn’t really say no. I think I’ve fitted in really well. The boys have been really welcoming. This year I’ve just enjoyed playing with these star-studded players.”
It has been a successful switch already for Talbot, who has already got his hands on the Premiership.
He and star teammate Jordy Bos have formed a dual threat for City on either full-back flank.
“It’s been unreal. You see how Bos has been this year and how he drives forward with the ball. He encourages me to do the same thing,” Talbot said.
“I feel like both of us on each flank have been really consistent and pretty dominant. Just going off him, if he goes forward, I tuck in for him and if he sees me going forward, he tucks in for me.
“We’re really good mates off the field and we both have that understanding with each other and it’s been showing this season.”
Talbot’s former teammates are all that stand in the way of him and a Grand Final. Getting past the team where he made his debut in 2020 en route to a Championship decider would represent a sense of satisfaction for the defender.
“At the start of the year, we had goals and the Premiership was the first one to tick off the list. It’s unbelievable to get a bit of silverware,” he said.
“I can’t really ask for more than that. Now we’re just focusing on Sydney FC and getting our hands on the double.”
On whether it would be more satisfying to get past Sydney in the Semi Final, Talbot replied: “I’d be lying if I said no.
“You always have more fire in the belly when you face your old club. But I have no bad blood with the club and I feel like they don’t have bad blood with me. I felt like I left on really good terms.
“It would just be unbelievable to get into a Grand Final and experience the whole thing.
“I’d be lying if I said it wouldn’t be good, not to send them home but to get one up them would be unbelievable.”
