Coach: Vitale Ferrante
Pre-season: WWL (South Hobart 6-1, Melbourne Knights 1-0, Hobart Olympia 2-3)
2014 finish: 8th The Northern Suburbs based club secured a comfortable mid-table finished to guarantee their top flight status. A slow start saw Vitale Ferrante’s men winless in their opening four matches before a five game winning streak in May and June set them on course for a good campaign which included a impressive 2-0 home win over a more fancied Oakleigh outfit, and a goal of the year contender from Davey van’t Schip’s superb solo run and chip.
Crucial points here and there ensured they were never really in relegation trouble, as they rounded off their season with a memorable come from behind 3-2 victory away to Green Gully, that saw mid-season recruit Jake Nakic grab an emphatic hat-trick.
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New Signings: While the club has lost the services of the influential Marco Santilli (and thus one half of the Santilli brothers), the signature of Adam Nakic sees the Nakic brothers reunited at a club level. 21-year-old Adam was one of St Albans Saints’ best defensive minded players last season and will be eager to test himself in a more competitive league environment.
Young left-back Jake Halliday has signed on board from Adelaide-based club Campbelltown City after spending time with the South Australian Institute of Sport where he was teammates with the likes of Ben Garuccio, Jacob Melling, Awer Mabil and Stefan Mauk and the Adelaide United Youth Team.
English midfielder Tom Black is another off-season addition to a squad which has been strengthened over the summer, along with Connor Kass from South Hobart.
Players to Watch: Former Melbourne Victory Youth captain Jake Nakic is one of the league’s best forwards having scored 11 times last campaign with his technical attributes earning many plaudits. Luca Santilli has provided the side with plenty of goals over the last two seasons and will be expected to continue this into the 2015 season.
Veteran midfielders Michael Ferrante and Carl Recchia, along with defensive stalwart Tomi Milardovic have plenty of quality, having all played in the A-League, and thus offer the side added experience. Full-back Adrian Talarico is one of the competition’s most exciting full-backs with his trademark runs forward a delight to watch.
What to expect in 2015: 2015 sees the club move away from Hosken Reserve and into the impressive new-built facility at CB Smith Reserve, with the state of the art venue being valued at an estimated $6.4 million.
The club’s recent additions, along with the retention of last season’s key players, should see another comfortable mid-table finish, if not better. The inclusion of finals football could see them crack the top five at best but challenging the big boys of Victorian football might be a task too big for a club which has punched above its weight lately under the guidance of the highly respected Ferrante. Stubborn outfit.