Central Coast Mariners – the underdogs with imprints all over the Socceroos.
They’ve boasted some talented players over the years.
Mat Ryan, Trent Sainsbury, Mile Jedinak and Tom Rogic are just four players to name a few of the exports to have flourished abroad after emerging on the Central Coast in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Kye Rowles and Lewis Miller are the two latest examples. Rowles has joined fellow A-Leagues graduates Cam Devlin and Nathaniel Atkinson at Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.
Miller makes the move to Scotland’s top flight via Hibernian, though the full-back has technically arrived from Macarthur FC having signed a pre-contract agreement following the end of the 2021-22 ALM season.
With Rowles preparing for life in Scotland after starring for the Mariners and Socceroos, KEEPUP has put together an XI based on Central Coast players to have earned moves abroad in the past.
Mat Ryan – Club Brugges
Once the home of Paul Okon and Frank Farina, Belgian giants Club Brugge prised Ryan from the Mariners in 2013. Central Coast secured a sell-on clause and a “sizeable” transfer fee for Ryan, who won the 2011-12 Premiership and 2013 Championship during his time in Gosford. The 2011-12 A-Leagues Goalkeeper of the Year, Ryan – who made his Mariners bow in 2010 – has gone on to play for LaLiga’s Valencia, Genk, Brighton and Hove Albion, Arsenal and now Real Sociedad, while captaining the Socceroos to 2022 World Cup qualification.
Kye Rowles – Hearts
Playing like a seasoned pro for the Socceroos, Rowles first joined the Mariners in 2017 and he became a key figure across five seasons, 104 matches and 8,959 minutes. After a very strong 2021-22 campaign, the 23-year-old’s exploits didn’t go unnoticed as Hearts snapped up Rowles – who was instrumental in Australia booking their ticket to Qatar 2022 – for an undisclosed fee.
Trent Sainsbury – PEC Zwolle
An AIS product, Sainsbury signed for Dutch Eredivisie outfit PEC Zwolle for a healthy fee on a two-and-a-half-year deal in January 2014. He had come off winning the ALM Premiership and Championship with the Mariners. The 58-time Australia international has since gone on to play for the likes of Jiangsu Suning in China, Italian powerhouse Inter and Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven.
Alex Wilkinson – Jeonbuk Motors
Foundation player Wilkinson made the permanent above abroad in 2012. After a loan stint with Jiangsu in 2011, the Championship-winning defender and one of Central Coast’s most loyal servants switched to K-League heavyweights Jeonbuk Motors after the two teams agreed a fee in 2012.
Tom Rogic – Celtic
Scottish giants Celtic forked out around £400,000 to sign the then-20-year-old Rogic from the Mariners in 2013. Rogic, who arrived on the Central Coast in 2012, only made 28 appearances for the Mariners before Celtic came calling. He did return to Aussie shores, albeit on loan at Melbourne Victory, but the skillful Socceroo went on to win six league titles among other honours in Glasgow, where he farewelled the club last month.
Mustafa Amini – Borussia Dortmund
Bundesliga powerhouse Borussia Dortmund swooped for the Mariners prodigy in 2011. Aged just 18 at the time, Dortmund agreed a deal for the Aussie starlet, though he did not link up with the German side until the following year, after remaining on loan at the Mariners. It was at the time Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund also boasted former Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Mitch Langerak. Amini spent three seasons with Dortmund’s second team before moving on to clubs like Randers FC and AGF in Europe. He will play for Perth in next season’s Isuzu UTE A-League.
Rostyn Griffiths – Guangzhou R&F
Griffiths set an A-Leagues benchmark at the time when Guangzhou R&F splashed $1.3million to lure the Aussie to the Chinese Super League in February 2012. He made almost 50 ALM appearances in a Central Coast shirt before R&F came circling 10 years ago. Griffiths called Guangzhou home for two seasons before spells with Perth glory, Roda JC, Pakhtakor Tashkent and now Melbourne City.
Anthony Caceres – Manchester City
The Mariners sold Caceres to Premier League powerhouse Manchester City for an undisclosed fee – in the region of $300,000 – in 2016. Aged 23 at the time, Caceres had made 62 appearances in a Central Coast shirt and features in three AFC Champions League campaigns. Caceres never made a first-team appearance for the Citizens, going out on loan at sister club Melbourne City twice, Al-Wasl and then Sydney FC, who purchased the midfielder permanently in 2019.
Mile Jedinak – Genclerbirligi
Talk about an example of a player moving to the Mariners and making the most of his opportunity in the A-League Men. Championship winner Jedinak earned his chance in 2006 after carving out a career in the state leagues with Sydney United. But within three years, the future Socceroos captain was snapped up for an undisclosed fee by Turkish club Genclerbirgli, who were also home to Australia team-mates Bruce Djite and James Troisi at the time. It was just a taste of things to come, with Jedinak earning big moves to Crystal Palace and Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Alou Kuol – Stuttgart
Kuol lit up the A-Leagues and just over a year on from his senior debut in 2020, the forward sensation was signed by Bundesliga club Stuttgart last year. His breakthrough 2020-21 campaign caught the eye in Germany, with the Mariners academy player netting seven goals in 26 appearances. Kuol linked up with Stuttgart’s Under-21 team and bagged seven goals in 18 games last season, though he was loaned to second-tier club Sandhausen for the second half of the campaign.
Bernie Ibini – Shanghai SIPG
The talented Australian forward made his first big move to China, joining newly promoted CSL club Shanghai SIPG for a reported $600,000 fee. Ibini was linked to Club Brugge but opted to swap the Mariners for Shanghai, who are now known as Shanghai Dongya, following his super performances in the 2012-13 AFC Champions League.
Bench
Danny Vukovic – Konyaspor
A foundation player in Gosford, Vukovic made more than 100 appearances for the Mariners across all competitions and won the Premiership before the goalkeeper signed a two-year deal at Turkish outfit Konyaspor. However, Vukovic was released after the club realised they had too many foreign players in their squad. While the move didn’t go according to plan, the Socceroo has since gone on to enjoy a European career and played for Genk and NEC Nijmegen in Europe.
Lewis Miller – Hibernian
Following in the footsteps of former Mariners team-mate Rowles, Miller has also made the switch to Scotland via Hibernian. Technically, the Under-23 Australia international arrives at Hibs from Macarthur FC, where he had agreed a pre-contract deal after his Central Coast release. Macarthur and Hibs reached an agreement on a fee and additional on-sell percentage, but Miller made his name at the Mariners, graduating from their academy. The 21-year-old enjoyed a superb 2021-22 season under Nick Montgomery, whose team contested the Australia Cup decider and featured in the ALM finals.
Oliver Bozanic – Luzern
Switzerland was the destination for Bozanic in 2013. Swiss Super League team FC Luzern signed the Australian midfielder from the Mariners on a two-year deal, despite links to Busan IPark and Pohang Steelers in South Korea. Bozanic, who emerged from Central Coast’s youth team in 2006 before moving to Reading in the UK, impressed at Luzern. Moves to Ventforet Kofu in Japan and Hearts in Scotland followed, while Bozanic now finds himself at Western Sydney Wanderers after leaving Central Coast on the back of a third spell.
Gianni Stensness – Viking
Stensness is in the Socceroos fold these days and it comes after his time with the Mariners. The 23-year-old emerged from Central Coast’s academy in 2017 and while he’d eventually depart for Wellington Phoenix, he returned to the Mariners in 2019. After two strong seasons with the club, Norwegian team Viking reportedly forked out $270,000 for Stensness last year and he hasn’t looked back.
Matt Simon – Jeonnam Dragons
One of the Mariners’ favourite sons, Simon was lured away from the coast by South Korean club Jeonnam Dragons in 2012. The K-League outfit paid a transfer fee of $170,000 to land the striker, who netted 39 goals in 120 games during his first spell with the Mariners. Central Coast’s 2008-09 Player of the Year and the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, Simon eventually returned to Australia, first to Sydney FC in 2015 and then back to the Mariners three years later.
Mitch Duke – Shimizu S-Pulse
Duke went on a two-week trial at Premier League side West Ham in 2013 before his performances for the Mariners sparked the interest for J1 League outfit Shimizu S-Pulse. The Japanese side signed Duke after he netted 15 goals in 83 appearances in Gosford, where he also won the 2012-13 ALM Championship. Central Coast were able to reportedly command a significant fee and the Australia international spent four seasons with Shimizu before returning to Australia via Western Sydney. Duke now plays alongside fellow Aussie Stefan Mauk at Fagiano Okayama in Japan’s second tier, having also played for Al-Taawoun.
Andrew Clark – Vegalta Sendai
Born in Gosford, Clark is a Mariner through and through. A foundation player for Central Coast, the former right-back then moved onto the sidelines, becoming Mariners fitness coach from 2006 to 2013. Clark was eventually lured away from the coast, following Graham Arnold to J1 League outfit Vegalta Sendai in 2014. The 47-year-old has worked alongside Arnold at Sydney FC and now the Socceroos, though he has joined Danish giants Copenhagen as head of high performance and sports science.