It took 45 games to get his Hyundai A-League first goal and Max Burgess was quick to cite the influence of his teammates after his unlikely hat-trick against Central Coast Mariners.
The 25-year-old struck a three-goal salvo in the first half for Western United as they ran roughshod over the Mariners in a 6-2 win at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
After Besart Berisha’s opener was cancelled out by a Mariners penalty, Burgess took the game away from the visitors with his unprecedented 19 minute blitz.
Speaking post-match to Fox Sports, Burgess admitted his haul was unfamiliar territory for him as he etched himself in club history as the first United player to ever net a competitive hat-trick.
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“It was good to get the monkey off the back and, as they say, when it rains it pours,” he explained.
“It was a really good start for us in the first half and I was just trying to play off the shoulder with [Alessandro] Diamanti and Berisha up top.
“It’s pretty special for a player like me to be in amongst that so it was a great performance by us.”
With his first goal coming on the back of a strong run and pass on the break from Diamanti Burgess said he feels privileged to be honing his craft alongside the former Italian international and Serie A star.
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“It’s incredibly special for me to have someone of that calibre in our team, especially given the position he [Diamanti] plays,” Burgess said.
“He’s a left footer, he likes getting in the pockets like me. We’re speaking regularly – I’ve kind of seen his English grow over the year – and he’s been really good to me.
“It’s been really good this season to learn from someone like him.”
However, one lesson Burgess hadn’t learned from his more prolific teammates was how to quickly covet the match ball after the full-time whistle in the long-standing tradition of hat-trick heroes.
“I will have to try and find it,” he said.
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With the win lifting Mark Rudan’s side to seventh place on the table, and just two points shy of the top six, United defender Andrew Durante admitted the team had targeted the clash with the bottom-of-the-table Mariners as crucial to their Finals Series aspirations.
“It was a must-win game with the results over the weekend – the bottom teams have all been winning,” the veteran explained.
“We’ve closed the gap a little bit on that top six. It’s where we want to be and six goals at home is a delightful result.”
However, despite his side struggling for goals and results in recent rounds, he said the team is not selectively targeting future opponents on the run home.
“It’s honestly game-by-game. If you look too far ahead it gets a bit tricky.”
Round 22
Adelaide United v Western United FC
Saturday, 7 March
Coopers Stadium
Kick off: 4.30pm local, 5pm AEDT