Adelaide United midfielder Kristian Sarkies has pledged to his coach and team-mates his focus will be on helping the Reds reach the Hyundai A-League finals and succeed in the Asian Champions League despite signing with the Melbourne Heart.
Sarkies said his decision to move back to his home state, which was announced by the club on Tuesday, would not affect his approach in the second half of the 2009-10 season.
“I’m living in the present, not in the future or the past, and at the moment that’s with Adelaide United, so that’s my main focus and I’m not really thinking about Melbourne until next season,” he said.
“I’ve still got six months to go on my contract here so my focus is on Adelaide United and the Champions League after that.”
“I spoke to Viddie, I said this to him when I told him the news the other week, my 100 percent commitment is with the club until the end of my contract, I told him that, I’ve told the players that.”
“They know what’s expected of me and I know what’s expected of myself.”
“There’s a lot of football to be played, we want to try and finish as high up as we can, we want to make the finals.”
The Heart will be on the look-out for other established Hyundai A-League players as the season progresses but Sarkies said he wouldn’t be undermining the Reds’ squad by encouraging other players to join the cause.
“That’s their business, that’s nothing to do with me,” he said.
Sarkies has had an inconsistent run during his stint at Hindmarsh Stadium, playing just 11 games in his first two seasons with United. And a deep vein thrombosis scare also threatened to prematurely end his career.
But this year the former Victory player has been an important cog in the Reds’ line-up and his performance against the Gold Coast last week was exceptional.
“I feel it’s been very up and down for me to be fair, I’ve been out a lot injured so that’s been very frustrating for myself but at the moment it’s just good to be out on the park and playing regularly,” he said.
It’s for this reason coach Aurelio Vidmar is disappointed he’s heading back to Victoria.
“He’s always been very talented and now he’s starting to hit his straps, but unfortunately he’s leaving due to wanting to go home, which is obviously close to his heart, and obviously there is the appeal of going to a new club and new surroundings,” Vidmar said.
