You might’ve missed it amid the intensity of extra-time at CommBank Stadium on Saturday night, but amid a flurry of late substitutions came a moment nearly 10 months in the making for Wanderers midfielder Dylan Scicluna.
In late December, the 21-year-old was enjoying a breakout season in the making – but that season was cut short by a dreaded anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Scicluna had made seven starts in nine games to start 2024-25 and received international recognition for his domestic form with a call-up to the senior Malta squad.
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A long-range screamer against Wellington Phoenix in December saw Scicluna’s stock rise to even greater heights but just one game later, the young midfielder was sidelined by the season-ending injury.
Scicluna set an ambitious target to return for Round 1 of the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season, less than 10 months on from an injury that often takes athletes one year to recover from.
On Saturday afternoon, 295 days after suffering the injury, Scicluna achieved that lofty target, coming off the bench in his side’s 1-1 draw with Melbourne City.
Network 10’s Daniel Garb was pitchside to narrate the special moment.
“He’s been waiting patiently to come on,” Garb began. “And more to the point, has been waiting for almost a year for this moment.
“He had a great start to last season, he then did his ACL, it’s been a long road back through rehab for Dylan Scicluna.
“But he said, ‘This is the moment I want to be back for: Round 1 of the season, that was my goal’ – and he’s reached it in stoppage time on the opening weekend.”
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