Kealey Adamson has established himself as one of the Isuzu UTE A-League’s premier full-backs this season amid reported overseas interest. aleagues.com.au looks at the numbers behind the Macarthur Bulls star.
Could Kealey Adamson become the next Macarthur Bulls star to earn an overseas move?
Adamson has come a long way since his career was at a crossroads.
In fact, the young Australian defender is now attracting interest from a “number of clubs” in England as he looks to follow a path walked by former teammates Raphael Borges Rodrigues (Coventry City, England), Ariath Piol (Real Salt Lake, United States), Jed Drew (TSV Hartberg, Austria) and Oliver Jones (Randers, Denmark) through Macarthur and abroad.
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It’s not hard to see why based on his form with Macarthur Bulls and his numbers in the Isuzu UTE A-League, but it was not that long ago that the 21-year-old found himself in a “do or die” situation.
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“It very much felt like I was in the shopfront window… trying to get myself that foot in the door for professional football,” Adamson said in an interview with aleagues.com.au earlier this season while reflecting on his short-term stint with Sydney FC.
“So it’s good when I read the message from Bulls after the Grand Final of the that cup run, it was almost like a relief, like all the hard work come to fruition.”
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It was high stakes for Adamson in pursuit of a professional contract at Sydney FC. He and finals-chasing Macarthur are reaping the rewards now.
Just look at the data; his numbers paint the picture of a full-back who is not only strong defensively but a threat in attack – as a creator and source of goals with his pace, passing and technical ability.
Among defenders this season, Adamson ranks first for tackles (74), tackles won (51), duels (278), duels won (157) and possession won in the defensive third (71).
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He is also second for own half take-ons (32) and dribbles completed (32), third for possession won in the final third (11) and fourth for opposition half take-ons (41), possession won (113) and recoveries (113), while he is in the top 10 for goals and assists (five), big chances created (five, assists (three) and successful passes ending in the final third (194).
When factoring in the entire Isuzu UTE A-League, Adamson’s numbers are just as elite.
He ranks second for duels, tackles and tackles won, and third for duels won.
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“I think just the stability, I feel like being able to compare my growth with all my peers, people around me, just because you’re playing every single week, so you get that kind of instant feedback,” Adamson told aleagues.com.au previously.
“We’ve been building towards something the whole season, as opposed to even last season, I think the goals are very different for me, because I came in mid-season, it was really about earning the starting spot, earning those minutes, showing that I was worth the gamble.
“This season just feels very different that even the feedback and the instructions from the coaches is different. It’s more about what I can add, as opposed to what I need to do to be at the level.
“Being on the field, being able to be responsible for our results is massive. This season compared to maybe last season, a bit of on and off the bench. This season I’ve been able to pretty much play every single minute. I feel very responsible for every win. But also you feel every loss a lot more. Playing consistency has been top for me this year.”
