What were you doing as a 16-year-old on a Friday night?
Well, Haine Eames became the youngest player in Central Coast Mariners’ history after making his debut in Friday night’s 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League curtain-raiser against Melbourne Victory.
While no goals were scored in a wet Gosford, there were plenty of storylines – from Dylan Peraic-Cullen’s professional debut to Eames’ history-making bow.
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Eames – who signed a three-year scholarship deal in the off-season – came off the bench in the second half in a big moment, not only for the teenager but for two-time reigning champions Central Coast.
After the 0-0 draw, Mariners head coach Mark Jackson lifted the lid on the highly-rated teenager and when he first watched the academy graduate.
“He is one of a number of players we have at our club,” Mariners head coach Mark Jackson told Paramount+ after the game.
“I remember watching him for the first time at the sports college when I first arrived. It was Matt Simon who said to me, ‘watch this kid here, every time he has been put in the year above or two years above, he just thrives on it’.
“So we started to introduce him last year into first-team training. He just took to it like a duck to water.
“I think you can always tell from the reaction of senior players around him kind of saying, ‘who’s this lad?’.
“He’s a very grounded young man. I’ve got no qualms putting young players on the pitch and putting my trust in them. As long as they do the basics and show courage to do that.
“We will continue with that ethos going forward and these young players will grow.”
Jackson added: “It goes to show what we want to do here at the Mariners.
“I think we had seven or eight academy players on the pitch at the end. This is what we’re about and that’s a success story for us as well.”
The game itself – a Grand Final rematch, five months on from the Mariners’ triumph, had a bit of everything.
Bruno Fornaroli missed a penalty before Roderick Miranda saw red as Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory played out a 0-0 draw.
There was no shortage of drama and storylines at a rain-soaked Industree Group Stadium.
Victory talisman Fornaroli saw his first-half penalty hit the post after teammate Jason Geria had a red card downgraded to yellow upon a VAR review on the coast.
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In the second half, Victory captain Miranda was sent off after a VAR review.
“Before the send off, I think we dominated the game,” Victory head coach Patrick Kisnorbo told reporters.
“We created some great chances. Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t.
“With 10 men, we showed resilience. We were hard to break down… it was great to see.”
Of Central Coast’s starting XI from their Grand Final triumph in May, five have since departed – Danny Vukovic (retired), Dan Hall (Auckland), Jacob Farrell (Portsmouth), Max Balard (NAC Breda) and Josh Nisbet (Ross County).
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With former boss and current Subway Socceroos head coach Tony Popovic in the stands, new Victory coach Patrick Kisnorbo named Geria and Nishan Velupillay in the line-up after their international exploits with Australia in Japan, while Fornaroli was preferred to Greek import Nikos Vergos, who had been given the nod for most of the pre-season.
Ryan Edmondson almost looped a header into the bac of the net inside the opening minute but it landed on the roof of the net, much to the relief of Victory goalkeeper Jack Duncan.
That was as good as it got for the Mariners in a first half dominated by the visitors.
Jordi Valadon forced a fine save from Peraic-Cullen in the 28th minute before a controversial moment on the half-hour mark.
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Geria was shown a straight red card after he and Alou Koul collided in wet conditions, however, it was downgraded to a yellow following a VAR review.
Amid torrential rain in Gosford, Mariners full-back Lucas Mauragis and Kisnorbo collided on the sidelines – the Central Coast defender took out the Victory coach after a challenge with Brendan Hamill in a hilarious moment.
Then in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, Fornaroli earned a penalty in front of the visiting Victory fans.
Fornaroli sprung the offside trap after a cross-field pass from Velupillay and went down under a challenge from Brad Tapp but his spot-kick cannoned off the post amid Peraic-Cullen’s imposing presence between the sticks.
Peraic-Cullen came up big for the Mariners four minutes into the second half. Valadon got in behind Central Coast’s defence and whipped a delivery across the six-yard box which picked out Velupillay but his goal-bound effort was kept out by the debutant.
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The game was turned on its head just past the hour when Victory captain Roderick Miranda was given his marching orders for catching Mikael Doka with a high boot. Originally a yellow card, it was upgraded to red upon a VAR review.
It was Miranda’s second red card in three matches against the Mariners.
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With the numerical advantage, the Mariners started to apply sustained pressure against Victory.
A moment of individual brilliance from Bailey Brandtman nearly gave Central Coast the lead. The youngster left his opponent in his wake and sliced an effort across the area with a goal at the Mariners mercy but the chance went begging inside the final 10 minutes.
