Ruben Zadkovich highlighted the success of Adelaide United’s youth program as he shared Brisbane Roar’s vision and their hopes of producing Subway Socceroos, while flagging the possibility of Isuzu UTE A-League debutants.
Allianz Stadium in Sydney will be the venue for Saturday evening’s showdown between Brisbane and Adelaide, with all six Round 5 Isuzu UTE A-League fixtures being staged in the state for Unite Round.
The winless Roar will come up against an unbeaten Reds outfit, who are renowned for their youth program and a remarkable production line of talent, headlined by Nestory Irankunda, Mohamed Toure, Musa Toure, Giuseppe Bovalina and Al-Hassan Toure, who have moved abroad among others.
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Their current crop features Luka Jovanovic, Jonny Yull, Ethan Alagich, Panashe Madanha, Panagiotis Kikianis, Ryan White, Amlani Tatu, Feyzo Kasumovic, Malual Nichola and Fabian Talladira.
It is a “blueprint” Brisbane want to mirror as they focus and invest in local talent in Queensland. The three-time champions boast forward sensation Thomas Waddingham, who has been linked with Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham and Bayern Munich.
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There is also young gun Lucas Herrington after he signed his first pro deal at the start of 2024-25, and highly-rated Quinn MacNicol.
“Look, Adelaide credit to them, they’ve shown a really good blueprint on how to bring you players through their own system,” Zadkovich told reporters.
“Where they have the advantages, they’re a lot further down that process than we are as a club at the moment. That’s just the truth. Their Academy’s been strong for a while. They’ve got a really strong association with South Australian football. They’re working in tandem with that which we’re trying to do here now with football Queensland.
“Trying to build better pathways and better processes for players to come through which, to be honest, is a work in progress. It’s going to take a long time before it’s to the level we need it to be.
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“But we focus on the small steps and small gains. There’s some good young, quality talent that we’ve got – Queensland talent. We want more guys like your Lucas Herringtons, your Quinn MacNicols, your Thomas Waddinghams, your Keegan Jelacics – Queensland players in young national teams.
“We want to kick some of them on into Socceroos teams and then bring through more and more of our own homegrown talent into into this squad, which will make us more sustainable long term as a club, business wise.
“I think it can culminate in better results and stronger performances when you have players that know what it means to wear the jersey and are from here. I think that’s a really enjoyable process for our club.
“I certainly enjoy coaching these younger players and bringing them through. I’ve debuted a lot of young players in my short tenure as an A-League head coach at Perth and here at Brisbane now, and I intend to do the same.
“It’s also about right game, right moment, right opportunity for those players and making sure that when they do come in that they’re ready.”
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With that in mind, Zadkovich also hinted at A-Leagues debuts for some of his young Brisbane brigade.
Herrington is one of those players as the 17-year-old waits to play his first Isuzu UTE A-League match, as is fellow scholarship players Jacob Brazete and Pearson Kasawaya.
“There’s a lot of hungry players out there, and a lot of guys putting their hand up with some positive training performances as well,” Zadkovich said.
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“So whilst the young ones keep improving and keep kind of growing into themselves, because there are a few young players in our squad that I feel like later on in the year will play a big part as they come to the level.
“There’s also a few senior ones that I feel like are finding more and more match fitness and match minutes. So as these senior ones grow fitness-wise and strength-wise and intensity wise, get more and more match minutes, we also have these young ones that are putting their hand up and showing what they can bring to the table.
“There’s a real technical process of how we want to develop those players and turn them into assets for this club. Now that takes time, but I feel like in the next few weeks, there’s going to be some changes in the squad, and some of these guys are going to make their debuts.”
