To those watching on from a distance, the meteoric rise of Andy Brennan from Tasmanian Victory League bully to A-League professional may seem like a stretch of the most astronomical proportions, given the speed at which he’s ascended through the ranks.
Few onlookers in the Victorian state league circles would’ve picked the likeable South Melbourne forward as the next player to make an A-League move, not due to a lack of talent or application – which he has in abundance – but simply because some may argue he’s yet to fully prove himself in the NPL Victoria, having played out just 606 competitive minutes in a South shirt.
But football is a funny old sport like that and despite his short stay in Victoria, the humble Brennan quickly finds himself the poster boy for Tasmanian football on a national stage after securing a life-changing move to the Newcastle Jets.
However, casting an eagle eye on his performances to date for South Melbourne, it quickly becomes apparent that his impact is something that even numbers fail to quantify. You see, despite making only four league starts in 10 games – with five appearances off the bench – Brennan has added energy, pace and a raw, almost primal, desire to succeed, even when launched into the contest from the bench.
“[The move to Newcastle] doesn’t change anything. I’ll go there and train as hard as I can like I have with both South’s I’ve been with.” -Andy Brennan
He hinted at this in his very first competitive outing for the reigning champions, grabbing an equalizer against Melbourne Knights within a minute of coming onto the pitch in the Community Shield they eventually went on to win 2-1. It’s this trait that’ll stand Andy in strong stead heading into his debut A-League season.
“I’ve always given 100 percent whether I’ve come off the bench or started. I guess when I’ve come off the bench with fresh legs and with the type of player I am, it can be seen as if I’ve made an impact on the game,” Brennan says with an air of modesty. “But the belief all the players, coaching staff and people behind the scenes have in each other at South Melbourne is tremendous. They are all so supportive and want to drive each other so we can collectively achieve our goals as a team.”
His journey as a South player so far has been as much of a learning process mentally as it has in a playing capacity, citing the professional set-up at Lakeside Stadium as a great way of dipping his toes into the mentality required to succeed professionally at a top club.
“Without a doubt South Melbourne is a very professional set up. They’ve set me up well in the time I’ve been here. It’s been a big experience and one that has helped me grow as a person. Without a doubt it’s been a great stepping-stone to the A-League.
“CT [coach Chris Taylor] has helped me a lot in my short time here. There are things he’s said that still ring in my mind while I’m playing and training. I’ve been fortunate to have many good coaches like CT and Ken Morton at South Hobart who have taught me lots.”
His time at South Hobart taught him plenty about the ups and downs of life in football, and admittedly, he was never the type to look too far into the future when it came to forging a career in the world game. That’s not to say he didn’t dream of taking himself as far as possible with his talents. Starting off at Tasmania’s Central Region Junior Soccer Club, he quickly developed a love for the game, to rival a blossoming hockey passion he’d developed at the same time.
Forced into the choice that many youngsters face in their late teens, a 15-year-old Andy chose the path of feet over hands, moving to South Hobart where his career really took off. Turning down offers to join the elite pathway program Tasmanian Institute of Sport (TIS), the sprightly youngster made a swift transition to life as a senior player, moving from Under 19’s star and reserve squad member to a senior debutant at the age of 17.
“I scored two goals in my debut game for [South Hobart] under Ken Morton, who is still a big part of me today and always will be,” he recalls about his humble beginning and first senior coach. “The next game was South Hobart’s centenary game, in which I scored five goals. From then on in I stayed with the senior team.”
An explosive start to his days in the senior set-up, which saw him win the league’s Golden Boot in 2011, and hammer home 24 goals in the 2012 season, drew interest from a number of clubs, including then VPL outfit Bentleigh Greens, who secured the prized signature of the marksman. But disaster struck as a niggling injury he’d carried with South Hobart turned out to be a serious groin injury, which saw him miss a sizeable chunk of the 2013 season.
“It was an injury I had carried for a while at South Hobart. I went to England with a team to play there, came back to Bentleigh and [realized the injury] was giving me some problems. So I had an MRI to discover I had a torn groin and few other issues. I played through the injury for a year, that’s why it became worse and worse. I just didn’t want to focus on the pain.”
The disappointment of missing his chance to impress in Victoria spurred Brennan on to bigger and better things in the 2014 season, as he returned to Tasmania to finish runners-up in both the Victory League’s best and fairest, as well as the Golden Boot with 26 goals. For Brennan, he admitted that “Melbourne was always going to be the next step from Tasmania” as he looked to push himself to the next level. While the stay itself may have been short-lived, the importance of it all was far from lost on Brennan, who gave South a complement of the highest order, calling his Victorian surroundings “home”.
“I’ve always had a dream of playing as high as I can. So wherever I’ve been, I’ve just worked hard. South Melbourne hasn’t been my home for long, but it’s been a home for sure. [The club] has a lot of good people, which has made it really easy to settle in. I’ve grown fond of the people here and will be sad to say goodbye to a lot of them. I’m so glad I’ve been a part of [the club], and I’ll treasure my last month and bit with them.”
Another special thanks to @smfc and @SouthHobartFC and all the fans who have supported me week in week out. You’re support is amazing.
— Andy Brennan (@AndyBrennan36) April 29, 2015
As for the journey ahead of him, there’s little doubt that it’s the biggest and toughest he’s faced in his blossoming career to date, but the Tasmanian lad who’d move heaven and earth for those that’ve helped him in his transition to professionalism remains as unassuming as ever about the dream job ahead of him.
“The Jets move is probably the biggest [of my career so far] because it’s a professional contract and in the A-League. It doesn’t change anything though. I’ll go there and train as hard as I can like I have with both South’s I’ve been with. I’m excited to start with them.”
Photos: Matt Johnson/Player supplied