As a club the Central Coast Mariners and its Academy has a proud history of developing Australian footballers with many of them going on to successful careers at big clubs overseas.
This was best demonstrated at this year’s World Cup in Qatar, with seven former and current Mariners featuring in the Socceroos squad that made it to the round of 16.
It’s that time again to look at how our former Mariners are faring in leagues right across the globe, as we return with another edition of Mariners around the World.
Garang Kuol
The most recent Mariners Academy player to depart the Central Coast and head overseas, Garang Kuol has captured headlines during the previous few months.
After officially becoming a Newcastle United following our New Year’s Eve clash against Melbourne Victory, the 18-year-old spent the first week of January touring the facilities of possible loan destinations.
He eventually settled on Hearts of Midlothian, joining the club on a six-month loan. The youngster made his debut against St. Mirren on Saturday, coming on in the 77th minute.
In just 15 minutes the former Mariner showed his class, providing a near perfect pass that should have resulted in a a second goal in Hearts 1-0 over St Mirren.
Hearts currently sit in third played in the Scottish Premiership, with their next match scheduled for Thursday morning against Aberdeen.
Mathew Ryan
Following a tough period at Danish Superliga club FC Copenhagen, former Mariner and current Socceroos skipper Mat Ryan has made the move south to Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar.
Currently sitting second in the Eredivisie, above both Ajax and PSV, Ryan joins a team with their eyes firmly set on European football for the 2023/24 season.
His team most recently secured a 2-0 win over Heerenveen, with the next scheduled match coming against Fortuna Sittard on Monday morning.
Tom Rogic
Following his departure from Celtic after 10 years at the club, Tom Rogic signed with English championship side West Brom in September.
The midfielder has player 12 times for the Baggies so far this season, collecting 3 assists and scoring a screamer against Sunderland in December.
After languishing in the bottom half of the table and in part helped by Rogic’s contribution, West Brom have charged up the table in recent weeks and are currently sitting in sixth place in the English Championship, having defeated Luton Town 3-2 last weekend.
They face top of the table Burnley on Saturday, with a win pushing them closer to securing a play-off berth.
Kye Rowles
Former Mariner Kye Rowles is living the dream for Hearts of Midlothian right now, recently signing a five-year contract extension with the club to keep him in at Tynecastle Park until 2028 amidst rumours of keen interest in him from some English clubs.
Since arriving at Hearts following his departure at the end of last season from the Mariners, Rowles has been a major contributor to the side’s brilliant Scottish Premiership form.
Starting as a part of a back three against St Mirren on the weekend, the defender kept yet another clean sheet, as his side came away with a 1-0 victory.
He has scored once and collected an assist in over 1000 minutes for Hearts so far, becoming a fan favourite of the Hearts faithful.
Having been joined by Garang Kuol recently, the duo face Aberdeen on Thursday morning as they look to solidify third spot on the ladder.
Mitchell Duke
Ex-Mariners and Socceroos World Cup hero Mitchell Duke secured a new move recently after departing former club Fagiano Okayama. The striker made 49 appearances during his time with the outfit, scoring 11 times.
He has now joined Machida Zelvia in the Japanese J2 competition, who finished 15th last season in the competition. The target man will be pivotal for the side as they look to build on last year to have a successful 2023 season.
With the new J2 League kicking off on February 18th, keep an eye out for updates on his first season with the Tokyo-based club.
