Evergreen veteran Steve Corica says good old fashioned hard work is the secret to his longevity in the game ahead of his 400th domestic-league appearance on Saturday.
The 35-year-old’s remarkable career, which began in 1990 with Sydney club Marconi, has included stints with Leicester City, Wolverhampton, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Walsall, before linking with Sydney FC for the inaugural Hyundai A-League season.
And the former Socceroo has no intentions of hanging up the boots anytime soon.
“There’s no secret, I just try to look after my body the best I can,” Corica said.
“I want to play as long as possible really and the more recovery you do and look after your body the better you’re going to be.”
“And that’s what I’ve done throughout my career and I’ll do it until I finish.”
While proud of the milestone, Corica remains focused on the task of consolidating his side’s strong start to the campaign, which sees them sitting in second spot two points adrift of Melbourne Victory.
“Up until a couple of days ago I didn’t even know it was my 400th game,” he said.
“It’s business as usual, the most important thing for me is to get three points and to stay up the top (of the A-League ladder).”
“Melbourne look very good this season so we need to stay up there and to challenge them.”
But while wary of Ernie Merrick’s men, Corica is adamant his side still has a lot more to offer as the club’s off-season recruits continue to find their feet in the Harbour City.
“No not yet,” Corica said when asked if the side is yet to find top gear.
“The boys (Stuart Musialik and Mark Bridge) have only been back from the Olympics for two or three games now and ‘Johnny’ (John Aloisi) has just come back in and ‘Popo’ (Tony Popovic) as well,” he said.
“So you probably won’t see that for another three or four weeks really I think.”
“We’re still learning from each other and hopefully we can only get better.”
