Young forwards Marie Rampal and Marisa Tisocco have played football together for years, so it’s only fitting that the Keilor Park duo’s journey to the pinnacle of Victorian football came hand-in-hand with each other.
With inaugural NPLW club Calder United born out of Keilor Park SC, the move into the top-flight comes with a certain sense of familiarity that’s not foregone like some conventional moves we might have seen in the past.
Adding to that familiarity is the connection the teenagers have. On the pitch, they combined for 24 goals as their side finished fourth on the State League 1 table. Off the pitch, their connection is just as strong with the pair “quite close” away from football.
“We’ve known each other for a very long time, because we’ve been at Keilor since we were about 12,” Tisocco says.
“We’ve got a really good connection off and on the pitch, we’re involved in each other’s lives, so we’re good friends and it’s good to play together with someone like that as it’s more enjoyable.”
“I’m so happy she’s playing with me. It makes things a little bit more comfortable for me because I know someone. I’ve been playing with her for years. So I’m very happy,” Rampal says in return about her teammate of six years.
On the pitch, their connection is making life easier for the pair, who have spent the last few weeks adjusting to the pace of training at NPLW level with Calder United.
“I feel like it’s a lot easier having someone that knows the way you play and what you can do because you’re around a lot of new people who’re guessing the talent that each other have,” Tisocco says.
“So to know that I have Marie there that knows what I can do is good because you’re getting the right service.That’s been really good in training as we’ve been able to support each other on the pitch.”
Tisocco had spent the last two seasons in the senior set-up at Keilor Park, where she grabbed 17 league goals in the season gone by.
The 19-year-old admitted that biding her time before making the step-up to senior level helped her make such a seamless transition as she put more effort into fine tuning her technical ability.
“I played with Marie a bit in the under 16’s, but the next year she moved up to seniors while I played under 18’s because I didn’t feel I was ready to make the step up,” Tisocco says.
“The next year I went to seniors, which was the best time for me to go up as I was in the best physical state that I’d ever been in. I built up my skills as well a little bit before I moved up to seniors just to make sure I was ready and that I was playing confidently.
“[2015] was a pretty good season, but I think it’s prepared me pretty well for this season in the NPLW. The teams we were playing were fairly challenging most of the time and that’s prepared me for the level up that I’ll experience this year.
“You always have games where you’re happy with what you did, but some games you feel as if you didn’t do enough. Last year I think the team relied heavily on me to always deliver. I tried my best, and I feel like I did a pretty good job half the time, but it can be tough to deliver when your team’s having a bad day.
Tisocco remains incredibly thankful for the time that Keilor invested in her as a youth and hopes that their faith is returned with a good first season in the WNPL system.
“[Keilor Park] brought me to where I am today as I’ve been there since I was 11. They’ve been there every step and helped with my development all the way,” she says.
“They’ve brought in great coaches, I’ve never had a bad coach there, and I can’t complain about anyone I’ve had there. They’ve all been really supportive and integral to my development and where I’ve come to today. They’re pretty important when in comes to me playing this season in the NPLW.
“It’s really exciting. To come from the division below it’s obviously a big challenge and a huge step, but I think with the coaches around and the familiarity of having the President of the club [Eric Psarianos] around, it’s exciting to see Calder reach this step and begin this new chapter.
FULL GALLERY > Calder United vs. Melbourne United practice match
“It’s been really exciting to see the talent that’s around you, and it get’s you excited for the season ahead. I’m excited to see the way it helps my game to play with people who come with such a high standard. I think that really pushes you to be the best player I can be, which is what I’m looking to do in the NPLW.”
The versatile forward credits pace as one of her main attacking weapons and has developed her game to play in a number of different positions across the frontline.
“I think the best part of my game is that I’m quick on the ball. Pace is an important part of my game, something I have up my sleeve when I come up against an opponent. Probably most of the time I can beat them with pace, so I look for through balls, but I also like to run with it and carry the ball,” she says.
“I enjoy playing as a number nine, laying it off when i have to but turning and shooting as well. I like playing all across the top, it’s more exciting. I’ve played number nine for the longest time, but the last couple of years I’ve been more on the wing.
“There’s more to do on the wing, so it’s a good change to get a bit of a run and get a few crosses in.”
For teammate Rampal, her first taste of senior football came at an incredibly young age with Keilor Park; so much so that even she can’t recall when her first game came about.
“I started playing football when I was about eight or nine and played for Berwick City SC on the other side of the city. I moved to Keilor when I moved to this side of town and I’ve been there since,” Rampal says.
“I’ve been playing at Keilor for six years, maybe more. I can’t even remember when I started playing seniors, but I was young. It was good [to play senior football as a youngster]. I always like a challenge and it was a good experience.
“I have everything to thank them for. They made me the player I am today and I’m very thankful.”
For her, the move to Calder marks an incredible step-up and provides her the opportunity to best showcase her abilities and improve as a footballer.
“The step up to Calder is a big step up, it’s really challenging. It’s a higher intensity but my time at Keilor Park [will help me adjust],” Rampal says.
“I’m very proud. It’s actually a great achievement for me because I’ve been playing for about 10 years now. It’s really good, I’m happy that I’ve made it.
“It’s been really good [so far]. The training has been a little bit of a challenge, but I’m just trying to focus on myself and get the best out of myself. I’m enjoying it. The intensity has been a lot higher and it’s a good challenge for me.”
Adept playing the role of a dangerous nine or impacting the contest on either flank, the versatile attacker describes her game style in an odd fashion.
“I hope I can deliver. Usually when I play, I just go with the flow, I can’t explain it,” Rampal says.
“I like to play upfront. I can play on the wings or in the middle, it doesn’t really bother me, I like both.”
The unexplainable x-factor talent is something coach Mark Torcaso is hoping to harness, by moulding the raw abilities of pace, skill and finishing and harnessing it into a genuine NPLW force.
“It’s crucial to be patient with these types of players, making sure they adapt is crucial,” Torcaso says on the duo
“Not rushing them and allowing them to learn and develop in their own time is also important.”
While they’ll be offered the time and space to develop over a long period of time, the pair will no doubt be hoping to take to the field at the same time; their connection one that will hopefully stand up against the rigours of a new league.
“We’ve always been connected, Marie in midfield and me up front,” Tisocco says.
“But it doesn’t matter where we are as we connect on the pitch because we know each other and have played with each other for so long. It’ll work really well regardless of where Mark [Torcaso] decides to put us.”
Photos: Mark Witte Photography