CENTRAL Coast Mariners defender Trent Sainsbury has been announced as the sixth nominee for the 2012/13 NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award.
CENTRAL Coast Mariners defender Trent Sainsbury has been announced as the sixth nominee for the 2012/13 NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award.
Sainsbury was voted as the most outstanding U21 player for the month of March following a series of dominant displays in the Mariners backline.
A regular at either right stopper or right back for Graham Arnold-s team, Sainsbury has enjoyed a consistent campaign for the Club having admirably replaced respected former captain Alex Wilkinson in defence this term.
While March did not begin brightly results wise for Central Coast Mariners, it did improve from the middle of the month with a trio of wins to finish the regular season against Brisbane Roar (home), Adelaide United (away) and Melbourne Heart (home).
Sainsbury was integral to two of these triumphs, with the 21-year-old Australian youth international helping the Club secure shutouts against the Roar and Reds respectively.
At the Mariners- Hyundai A-League Finals Launch in Tuggerah today, Sainsbury spoke of his delight in joining fellow Central Coast player Bernie Ibini as one of the nominees for the 2012/13 NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award.
And, the defender gave credit to those around him who he says helped him achieve the recognition he richly deserves.
“I have to heap a lot of praise on the boys that I have beside me because without them on the pitch I wouldn-t have been able to do what I was able to do,” Sainsbury said.
“With ‘Wilko’ (Alex Wilkinson) leaving I had to try and step up and having big Zac (Anderson) behind me pressing me all the way for my spot makes me step up my game in training,”
Sainsbury also said the team was in a confident mood heading into Sunday-s sudden death semi-final showdown with Melbourne Victory at Gosford-s Bluetongue Stadium.
“We-ve got a great record at Bluetongue this season and if we can take that into the game then we-ve got all the confidence in the world,” he said.
Tim Clarke, Head of NAB Enterprise Sponsorship & Events said NAB is delighted to see the NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award continue to unearth future stars of the game.
“We congratulate Trent on his nomination and look forward to watching his development and growth on the football field in the years to come,” Mr Clarke said.
“As a supporter of the NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award, NAB is proud to play an important role in identifying and rewarding tomorrow-s stars of football.”
“We are also pleased to recognise Trent-s junior club, Armadale FC in Perth and hope that the equipment pack provided will help the school continue developing the game at a local grassroots level,” said Mr Clarke.
The overall winner will receive a $10,000 personal investment portfolio, a NAB Private Client Manager to assist with a range of banking and financial services, and the NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award.
To aid the development of future football stars NAB have generously donated a $3,000 equipment pack that will go to Trent Sainsbury-s junior football club, Armadale FC.
Central Coast Mariners enjoy a proud record with the NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award, with custodian Mathew Ryan having won the overall prize for the last two seasons in a row.
