Following the landmark signings of Nathan Sherlock and Brady Smith as the Central Coast Mariners’ first ever National Youth League (NYL) recruits, the yellow and navy have today added a further eight players to their inaugural NYL charge.
Following the landmark signings of Nathan Sherlock and Brady Smith as the Central Coast Mariners- first ever National Youth League (NYL) recruits, the yellow and navy have today added a further eight players to their inaugural NYL charge.
Headlining the latest contingent of talents that will spearhead the Mariners- first ever NYL tilt is Qantas Young Socceroo Glen Trifiro, who has most recently starred for the Macarthur Rams in the NSW Premier League, highly rated striker Darko Vidovic who is a relation of senior Mariners squad member Mile Jedinak, and exciting Manly United talent Scott Wright.
Joining the aforementioned three is Nick Kapsis and Matthew Lewis, who were regulars with Blacktown City in the NSW Premier League this season, along with fellow NSW Premier League starlet Sean Mitchell of the Marconi Stallions.
AIS graduates Laurence Braude and Steven Tibbetts, who were each cornerstone members of the AIS- recently completed Victorian Premier League campaign, complete the latest installment of Mariners NYL players.
“As we-ve maintained throughout the process of putting this squad together, our emphasis is on developing players that we hope and expect will progress to the Hyundai A-League and to future successes with the Mariners and these eight players are ones that we believe have what it takes to make that step,” said Mariners Development Manager Alex Tobin.
“It hasn-t been an easy process and we have the capacity to add a further two players to our squad, but today-s announcement is the culmination of months and months of scouting, trialling and re-trialling before finally settling on players that we believe will best represent the Mariners and the goals that we as a club have set for the National Youth League.”
Trifiro, 19, was a team-mate of senior Mariners squad member Andrew Redmayne for Australia-s Asian Under-19 Championships qualification triumph in November of last year, where Australia downed Guam, Indonesia and Vietnam to secure their berth at this years Championships in Saudi Arabia, with Trifiro netting a brace against Guam.
Previously, Trifiro was a member of the Australian Schoolboys- 2006 tour of New Zealand and the South Pacific, before being joined by new team-mates Mitchell and Sherlock for a 2007 tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Vidovic, an Australian citizen born in Bosnia & Herzegovina, is connected to Qantas Socceroo and season three Mariners Medallist Jedinak through his sister Ivona, who married Mile-s brother Matt last month.
Mitchell was a fringe member of the Marconi Stallions- recently completed NSW Premier League campaign, while NSW Premier League counterparts Kapsis and Lewis have been in electric form for Blacktown City, with Lewis in particular producing a standout showing against Sydney FC in a trial match at the Fairfax Community Stadium last month.
Braude, a lightning quick attacking midfielder, found the back of the net twice for the AIS in Victoria-s top flight competition this season alongside defensive ever present Tibbetts, the former of which has experience with Australian youth teams.
Today-s announcement of the second wave of Mariners- NYL recruits brings total number of Mariners NYL squad members to ten, with Mariners Development Manager Tobin potentially able to introduce a further two players to the Mariners- historic first ever NYL line up.
“There are some real finds amongst this group already and, beyond the results that I-m certain we-ll achieve on the pitch, the football development of these players will be accelerated considerably by the environment that they will soon be introduced to at the Mariners,” said Tobin.
“Each player that we have recruited to date has the potential to become a first team player at the Mariners and to make a career as a professional footballer and I know that each of them are eager to formally begin this very exciting initiative for the development of football in Australia, as am I and everyone at the Mariners and, indeed, everyone involved in Australian football in general.”
Central Coast Mariners National Youth League Squad
Laurence Braude
Date of Birth 26 May, 1989
Place of Birth Sydney
Position Midfielder
Height 173cm
Weight 68kg
Former Club AIS
Nick Kapsis
Date of Birth 26 June, 1991
Place of Birth Sydney
Position Defender
Height 174cm
Weight 68kg
Former Club Blacktown City (NSW Premier League)
Matthew Lewis
Date of Birth 6 June, 1990
Place of Birth Sydney
Position Midfielder
Height 173cm
Weight 65kg
Former Club Blacktown City (NSW Premier League)
Sean Mitchell
Date of Birth 8 March, 1989
Place of Birth Sydney
Position Midfielder
Height 173cm
Weight 72kg
Former Club Marconi Stallions (NSW Premier League)
Nathan Sherlock
Date of Birth 2 February, 1990
Place of Birth Orange
Position Defender
Height 181cm
Weight 75kg
Former Club Sydney Olympic (NSW Premier League)
Brady Smith
Date of Birth 10 August, 1989
Place of Birth Gosford
Position Striker
Height 180cm
Weight 80kg
Former Club Central Coast Lightning (NSW Super League)
Steven Tibbetts
Date of Birth 10 October, 1990
Place of Birth Sydney
Position Defender
Height 186cm
Weight 77kg
Former Club AIS
Glen Trifiro
Date of Birth 10 July, 1989
Place of Birth Sydney
Position Midfielder
Height 174cm
Weight 74kg
Former Club Macarthur Rams (NSW Premier League)
Darko Vidovic
Date of Birth 30 March, 1988
Place of Birth Zenica, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Position Striker
Height 189cm
Weight 87kg
Former Club Macarthur Rams (NSW Premier League)
Scott Wright
Date of Birth 11 January, 1988
Place of Birth Sydney
Position Defender
Height 174cm
Weight 63kg
Former Club Manly United (NSW Premier League)
The Central Coast Mariners- first ever National Youth League campaign will commence with an opening round fixture against the Perth Glory at Bluetongue Stadium on Friday, 26 September. Kick off is at 5.15pm.
Tickets for this match are now on sale from Ticketek outlets, from the Ticketek website – www.ticketek.com.au, or via phone on 132 849.
Mariners Memberships for the Hyundai A-League 2008/09 season are now on sale at www.ccmariners.com.au.
