Young talent stood tall in Round 20 of the Isuzu UTE A-League season. These were the key talking points from every match.
On Friday night, Perth Glory youngster Keegan Jelacic was labelled “the brightest talent in Australian football”, before Luka Jovanovic and Nestory Irankunda – both 17 – hit the back of the net in Adelaide’s 4-2 win over Newcastle Jets.
Emerging Melbourne City left-back Jordan Bos pressed his case for a Socceroos call-up before actually getting the nod from Graham Arnold on Tuesday with the latest in a string of impressive A-League Men displays, whilst 23-year-old Christian Theoharous showed his “massive potential” in Central Coast colours.
With a lot to dissect, here are the key talking points from Round 20 of the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Jovanovic’s journey to his first A-Leagues goal
Luka Jovanovic enjoyed a “dream” moment on Saturday night after scoring his first goal in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
While Nestory Irankunda continued his incredible run of three goals in three games and captain Craig Goodwin had a hand in three goals (two assists and one goal), Jovanovic capped his starting debut with Adelaide’s third goal in their 4-2 defeat away to Newcastle Jets.
It has been quite the journey for the 17-year-old attacker, who, on February 18, kicked off the NPLM South Australia season with a four-goal haul for Adelaide’s National Premier League outfit, but if you look beyond that, he has overcame adversity.
Jovanovic suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2020, meaning he missed the entire 2021 campaign.
But he bounced back last season, scoring 12 goals in 22 appearances to earn a scholarship contract up until the 2023-24 season.
The forward made his A-Leagues debut in November, playing six minutes off the bench against Western United, but had to wait a few months for another crack, before playing significant time off the bench against Melbourne City (72 minutes) last week.
That earned him a maiden senior start, which he took full advantage of by scoring in the 4-2 victory over the Jets on Saturday night.
“He came on last week and did exceptionally well and got a spot again because of what he did,” Adelaide head coach Carl Veart told 10 BOLD.
“I always say to the young boys, you come in and give me your best efforts, and you’ll keep your spot.”
Jovanovic, who plays primarily as a striker but can also operate on the wing or as an attacking midfielder, has forged a unique pathway to Adelaide United via FK Beograd (Under-6s), Croydon Kings (U7s -U11s), Metrostars (U12s) and Football South Australia’s NTC program (U13s-U14s).
‘We should be second’
Sydney FC missed a great chance to solidify their place in the top six on Sunday afternoon.
The Sky Blues fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of fifth-placed Wellington Phoenix, meaning Sydney are only two points inside the top six heading into the final six rounds of the season following Western United’s win over Melbourne Victory.
But Steve Corica doesn’t believe it’s reflective of where they should be on the Isuzu UTE A-League standings – bemoaning a plethora of games where they fell just shy of claiming points.
“I think we should actually be in second at the moment,” Corica said post-game.
“We have the qualities, we’ve had a lot of opportunities this season to win games that we’ve probably dropped points. We’ve missed five pens out of six… you’re talking about three or four points right there.
“But that’s football, like I said, it’s a strange game but we want to get in a good position to finish the season off and when we’re there, I think we have the qualities to go on and win it.”
The games in question include their defeat to Wellington – by the same scoreline – earlier this season when Adam Le Fondre couldn’t dispatch two penalties in second-half stoppage time and 1-1 stalemate with Brisbane Roar last month – where Joe Lolley also had a spot-kick saved.
Now, the focus turns to what promises to be a monster Sydney Derby against the Western Sydney Wanderers. The ledger is even between the two teams with a win apiece and only four points separate them on the table.
It’s fair to say Saturday night’s clash at Allianz Stadium will be appointment viewing.
Theoharous is feeling the love at the Mariners & it’s showing
When Central Coast Mariners lured Christian Theoharous from Western United in January, they unveiled big plans.
“It is clear he has massive potential and we believe that together, if we can unlock it, he can be a future Socceroo,” Nick Montgomery said at the time.
There was no doubting Central Coast were recruiting an extremely talented player, one that had earned a move to Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach in 2018 up until 2021. But, the 23-year-old fell on hard times at Western.
During his time at the A-League Men champions, Theoharous made just four league appearances totally 67 minutes. However, he is thriving under Montgomery on the coast.
Theoharous was handed his first start on Saturday and earned man-of-the-match honours as the Mariners crushed Macarthur 4-1 in Mudgee to snap a three-game winless run.
“The belief the coaching staff give me and the relationship I have with them, it makes you want to work hard and give all you have for the team,” said Theoharous, who has amassed 219 minutes of action in eight games for the Mariners.
“The most important is my relationship with my coach. (Nick Montgomery) Monty has been unreal since I’ve been here. I really can’t thank him enough honestly.
“People take opportunities for granted and from where I’ve come and how many games I’ve played in the recent past.. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.”
The Mariners were irresistible in the second half, scoring three unanswered goals to blow Macarthur away.
Jason Cummings bagged a double to take his season tally to 14, while Marco Tulio was also on target for the rampant Mariners – who have scored 26 second-half goals in 2022-23, the most of any team.
Central Coast got the job done without suspended trio Brian Kaltak, Beni Nkololo and Matheus Moresche, plus Jacob Farrell (illness) and Nectarios Triantis (international duty).
But Central Coast’s Academy products stepped up – Cameron Windust started, while Nicholas Duarte, Zac Zoricich, James Bayliss and Sasha Zuzevski all came off the bench.
“I’m super proud. We have lost a lot of players over the last couple of weeks,” Montgomery said.
“I thought the boys that came in today – 12 Under-23 players, nine I think from the Academy and 11 of them featured in the game. I’m really proud of that.”
A record season of red cards
There’s never been more red cards in an A-League Men season – and there’s still six rounds to play in the 2022-23 campaign.
Referee Alex King sent both Perth Glory’s Jordan Elsey and Western Sydney’s Tomislav Mrcela to the stands in Friday night’s clash between the two sides at HBF Park, as the number of dismissals for the current season rose to 41. It’s currently the equal record amount of red cards in a single season alongside the 2010-11 campaign.
The numbers are alarming – but according to Wanderers head coach Marko Rudan, it’s not surprising considering conversations which took place in pre-season.
“There has been a lot (of red cards), that’s for sure,” Rudan told reporters post-match. “But we were all made aware of the rules, we were very clear on what the rules were at the start of the year.
“And so us coaches have to coach, and understand that. So it is a lot, but again it goes down to consistency, and they’ve been consistent with their decisions. And that’s all we can ask for.
“It’s not a matter of how many there’s been, and if it’s history made with how many have been dished. It’s about being consistent and playing to the letter of the law which they’ve been doing. I’ve got no qualms about that. I would if there was inconsistency.”
Mrcela’s dismissal means that Victory will be without one of their two first-choice central defenders for the second week in succession after Marcelo missed the trip to Perth through suspension.
Elsey’s dismissal for Perth, meanwhile, was the equal-fastest in A-League Men history. His challenge on Yeni Ngbakoto occurred in the 57th second of the game, with the card brandished by King in the second minute. It equalled goalkeeper Ante Covic’s record after his send-off whilst at Melbourne Victory in November of 2011.
Coincidentally, the player who replaced Covic in goal for Victory on that day was Lawrence Thomas, who was stood in goal for the Wanderers at HBF Park on Friday night.
Glory head coach Ruben Zadkovich, when speaking post-match, was less tolerant than Rudan as he assessed the officiating this season.
“It makes it too much about the referees,” he said, “which in the A-League, you’ve only got to look at the stats this year with the amount of red cards and suspensions, that’s becoming a huge talking point: referees and decisions. I think they need to stay out of the game a bit and let the guys play.”
Botic at it again
The hype around Noah Botic is real.
Botic’s star continues to rise as he scores with regularity in the A-League Men; Western United’s new star opened the scoring in the 2-1 win over Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Monday night.
His fifth goal in as many games came via a simple tap-in from Connor Pain’s delivery – who is enjoying a stellar season himself in green and black, and supplied both assists to Western’s goals against Victory.
Of Botic’s five professional goals, four have come off a one-touch finish. He took two touches to deliver his fifth against Perth Glory in Round 19: the first deftly taken off his chest and the other volleyed off his right foot.
It’s efficiency in the 18-yard box from the rising Australian talent, who only recently earned an Olyroos call-up and a Western contract extension – and that’s what the experienced Serbia international Aleksandar Prijovic has been working to instil in Botic’s game on the training track.
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“He is a young talented player,” Prijovic told Paramount+. “He needs to keep on staying humble and work hard, and go from game to game. It’s a big experience for him.
“I’m telling him a lot. He should just work on his finishing, one-touch, two-touch in the game and in the box, not too waste too much time receiving. Today, one-touch.
“And the goals he’s scored, I think all of them (bar one) were one-touch. He has to work harder, and keep working.”
City duo earn international selection
Aiden O’Neill and Jordan Bos were at the heart of Melbourne City’s 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar on Sunday.
READ: ‘Meat and potatoes’ City midfielder steps into unwanted spotlight after brilliant brace against Roar
O’Neill scored twice to lead league-leading City past Brisbane, who had equalised before the midfielder struck late in the game at AAMI Park.
It was the first two-goal haul of O’Neill’s senior career as he maintained his impressive season with the reigning premiers.
Full-back Bos was also a handful down the flank as the City duo were called up by the Socceroos on Tuesday for this month’s international friendlies against Ecuador.
