Perth Glory supporters were understandably surprised when news broke on Wednesday night that club captain Brandon O’Neill wanted to leave the club just one year into a three-year contract.
The 28-year-old returned to his hometown club for a second spell in July 2021 and was given the armband by then boss Richard Garcia. However, the 2021/22 campaign proved a difficult one for all involved with reduced home games, extended time in quarantine, and poor results on the park that culminated in a last place finish on the ladder.
According to Perth Glory’s official statement regarding their release of O’Neill, the player wanted out since February, prior to the sacking of Richard Garcia and the shoulder injury that put an end to his season. A move to the Newcastle Jets had been materialising in the background for some time and was confirmed less than 24 hours after the official departure from Glory.
Club CEO Tony Pignata was straight to the point with the reason for allowing a key member of the playing group to leave. “If a player no longer wishes to play for Perth Glory, there is no point in forcing them to stay,” he said. For his part, O’Neill cited an inability to perform at his best in Perth as the reason for wanting to move on.
This offseason is arguably the most important in the club’s history. They cannot go any lower on the ladder and a large section of the fan group has become disillusioned with the running of the club since the defeat to Sydney FC in the 2019 Grand Final at Optus Stadium. The team that won the club’s first silverware in the A-League era, the Premiers Plate, was dismantled and coach Tony Popovic departed. Since then, a combination of poor recruitment, injuries, and a global pandemic have contributed to the first to worst slide.
Last week it was confirmed that Ruben Zadkovich has been entrusted with the Head Coach role for the next two seasons. While this was expected given his role as interim coach in the wake of Garcia’s departure, the decision wasn’t universally well received due Zadkovich’s lack of experience and run of results at the back end of the season.
However, the club believes that he can prosper when surrounded by a good support network which is why Joe Gallen, Chris Coyne, Kenny Lowe, and Mich d’Avray all form part of a new-look backroom team. Andy Keogh, now retired from playing, is heading up the recruitment side of things and the overhaul of the squad has begun.
Seven players have departed Glory in the last week or so – O’Neill, the much-maligned Daniel Sturridge, Nick Fitzgerald, Jonathan Aspropotamitis, Josh Rawlins, Osama Malik, and Darko Stanojevic. In come Mustafa Amini, Stefan Colakovski, Matt Hatch, and Keegan Jelacic, while highly rated youngsters Luke Bodnar, Joseph Forde and Cameron Cook have signed new deals. More of last season’s youthful playing group are expected to have their futures sorted in the coming weeks.
The signings of Colakovski and Hatch signify a targeted approach in the recruitment space. Neither featured prominently for Melbourne City or Central Coast Mariners last season but Glory believe that they can be stars when utilised correctly. Colakovski brings versatility and can play anywhere in the frontline, while Hatch was the quickest player in the men’s competition last season.
Jelacic is another exciting prospect who has been having a great run of things in Queensland’s National Premier Leagues (NPL) competition, totalling 10 goals and 9 assists for Olympic FC. The 19-year-old has prospered over the past six months under the watchful eye of highly rated coach Ben Cahn.
O’Neill’s departure was countered almost immediately with positive news as Glory smartly announced the Amini acquisition just hours later. An 8-time Socceroo, the 29-year-old showed flashes of his quality in a short spell with Sydney FC and says he’s ready for an exciting new challenge. Glory have put their faith in Amini, his three-year deal suggests that he will be one of the key components of a new-look side.
And they aren’t finished yet. With preseason training officially kicking off in July, the club remain in talks with a number of other potential signings to bolster the squad. Glory’s decision to move on quickly and not play hardball with O’Neill’s release can be taken as a positive – there is no point keeping an unhappy captain around when they have plenty of other irons in the fire.
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