Image: Sonia Licciardi
The Dandenong Thunder have secured the services of Rinor Muriqi for the 2017 NPL2 season, with the forward returning to the club following a seven-year absence.
The 28-year-old Kosovo-born attacker moves to George Andrews Reserve following stints with Box Hill United and Moreland Zebras in 2016 and was honest in explaining the reasoning behind his decision to move to the club he also featured for as a junior.
“I think I’ve changed way too many clubs in the past 10 years and have always wanted to settle at one club and be happy. I think it’ll be good for me to finish off where i started,” Muriqi stated.
He becomes the third new player to agree terms with the 2012 VPL Champions, who have also appointed Italian Giuseppe Anastasi as their new head coach.
Muriqi’s former Green Gully teammates Alon Blumgart and Rodrigo Vargas are the two other new additions to the playing squad, with the 2012 State League One Golden Boot winner excited at the prospect of linking up with the pair in the upcoming season.
“It helps to have players you’ve played with before in your team. You know them on a personal level and the way they like to work. Alon and Roddy are true professionals and will fit in very well.”
Muriqi’s father Fadil is a club legend at the Dandenong South-based outfit, having spent six seasons there in the mid-to-late 90s after a successful career back home in his native homeland, where he was one of the star players of the great FK Prishtina team of the 1980s.
“I remember going to watch my dad play and train at Thunder knowing he was at the end of his career, but still thinking he was a special player as he had that x-factor,” Muriqi junior said before discussing his continued connection with the club, for whom he made five senior appearances in 2009.
“Ever since I can remember I’ve been somehow connected to the club. Whether it was playing juniors, seniors or just going to watch and being social with all the people involved in the club and Albanian community,” the 2016 Sportsmart Goal of the Year winner added.
Muriqi was also quick to note the collective desire to achieve the goal of promotion in the upcoming season, after the Thunder had seemed odds-on-favourites to achieve that feat for much of the season only for a late-season fade out to cost them.
“I think we’ve got the team to go up as there is a mixture of great experience with the likes of Vargas, Colosimo, Sarkies and Korcari as well as some younger players coming through and players like Barnes and Blumgart who can get the job done.”
“We’ve got a huge amount of support and last year’s disappointment will spur everyone on even more to get us across the line,” concluded the former Altona Magic attacker.