Central Coast Mariners head coach Mark Jackson has confirmed two-time Championship winning defender Brian Kaltak is set to leave the club at the end of the season.
Now into his third year with the club, Kaltak has been a revelation since joining the Mariners as an injury replacement signing at the start of the 2022-23 Isuzu UTE A-League campaign.
The Vanuatu captain, who featured in his 100th game in all competitions for the Mariners in their 2-2 draw with Macarthur on Sunday, has established himself as a fan favourite in Gosford after playing a crucial role in the 2022-23 Championship triumph as well as their unprecedented treble success last season.
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Speaking after the full time whistle at Industree Group Stadium, head coach Jackson confirmed his ever-reliable defender is likely bound for the exit door this off-season.
“I’ll not lie to you, Brian has expressed a desire to move overseas to Asia,” revealed Jackson when speaking to Paramount+ after the game.
“That’s what he said to us at the start of the year. We tried to renegotiate with him on a contract, and he wants to move overseas. That’s that’s what he wants to do and we have to respect that.
“We had the same with Max Balard and (Josh) Nisbet last year. You know, both players out of contract. We tried to entice them to stay, but they wanted to run their contracts out and move overseas to Europe, and that’s what Brian’s said he wants to do so we have to respect that.”
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While Kaltak is set to depart the club at season’s end, Jackson has a bigger headache to deal with in the here and now after captain Trent Sainsbury suffered a suspected ruptured achilles injury in the draw with the Bulls.
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“Nothing confirmed yet, but to be honest, it didn’t look good,” said Jackson when asked for an update on Sainsbury’s condition.
“He felt something go in his Achilles I think it is. So until we get that diagnosis, I think we’ll hold fire giving (away) anything on that.
“I thought he was excellent today in the game. I thought it was a real commanding performance from him.
“To see that happen to him at the end was gut-wrenching to be honest with you, it’s been the story of our season.
“We lost Storm Roux in a training ground incident as well. So it’s not quite gone for us this year, from that point of view, so listen we’ll see what the outcome is once I get in there.”
Looking longer term, Jackson revealed his vision for the future of the Mariners, but admitted he didn’t know what the timeline was for making it a reality.
“We know what we have to do for next season,” he explained.
“It’s still a bit up in the air with the club, it’s clear the owner is trying to sell the club.
“For me as a manager and my staff, of course we have a season to finish and we want to finish on a high for our supporters.,
“It has not been a season we want. Even now I’m looking to build for next year.
“It is getting that clarity from the owner, waiting for that moment to happen when we can move forward with things. We’ve got a lot of things lined up, what we want to do.
“I know how I want the team to look next year. I won’t divulge that to you now, but I’ve got an idea of what the team looks like.
“Experience-wise, it is still blending the team with that youth as well. That is important for us.
“You look at the youth we have within the club now, we’ve still got to bring that through. It is clear we need some experience through the spine of the team as well.
“That is what my plan is. That is what I’ve got lined up ready to go, it’s just waiting for that timeline.
“You ask me what that timeline is, I don’t know.”
