A leaner, meaner Tahj Minniecon has vowed to finally live up to his potential as he embraces his Hyundai A-League lifeline with the Western Sydney Wanderers.
A leaner, meaner Tahj Minniecon has vowed to finally live up to his potential as he embraces his Hyundai A-League lifeline with the Western Sydney Wanderers.
Once mentioned in the same breath as Queensland/Brisbane Roar wunderkinds Robbie Kruse and Tommy Oar, the 23-year-old fell off the radar completely in a horror three-year spell at Gold Coast United.
Ravaged by injury, fitness, form and personal problems on the glitter strip, Minniecon was frozen out of first-team action.
His career was not just at the crossroads – it looked all but over when the Clive Palmer-funded club folded in April this year, with a proposed move to Newcastle Jets proving a dead end.
That was until Wanderers coach Tony Popovic, who remembered Minniecon’s dazzling pace and trickery from playing against him in his time at Sydney FC, handed him a one-week trial.
Battling through a back injury, Minniecon passed with flying colours – but that was only the start of his transformation.
Since putting pen to paper with the league’s newest club, the livewire winger – often criticised for his laconic nature and his weight – has dropped nine kilograms and counting.
“I feel so much fitter, so much better about myself, and a lot lighter and sharper and quicker,” Minniecon said
“All credit to the staff at Wanderers, they worked magic for all the players and especially for me.
“I was a lot out of shape, to be honest – it’s not a secret, everyone knows that. But I’m back feeling as good as I’ve ever felt.”
Minniecon’s other problem at Gold Coast was his massive family, which he readily admits caused some issues.
“I have a very, very big family. Sometimes it was a distraction,” he said.
“I’m looking at (this move) as a positive. I’m still only a phone call away, or they can come visit – but it’s a lot better for me to be isolated and in a very professional environment, which is what Western Sydney is about.”
Now his task is all about making up for lost time.
While Minniecon’s career stagnated, former Roar teammates Kruse and Oar went onto bigger and better things, earning moves to Europe as they entered the Qantas Socceroos’ fold.
He admits it hurts to consider the opportunities he’s missed.
“I know the boys and I’m very proud of them, and we still keep in contact,” he said.
“But it’s hard to see them doing so well when you know you could have been doing as well as they are.
“I look at it as motivation, because I was once playing with them and was in the same bracket as them. And I don’t think the door is closed for me just yet, not at all.
“I feel a lot more confident under Poppa. It seems like the old me is coming back, you could say.”
Not that he needs reminding that this is his last chance to make it as a professional footballer.
“It’s definitely a big season for me and it has to be a good season for me, I know that,” he said.
