Rewind the clock just 18 months and Thomas Deng was an unheralded 17-year-old plying his trade for Green Gully’s U20 side, hoping to make a breakthrough into the senior team. Today, he is both a star on the rise at one of the most successful clubs in Australia, and an integral member of the Young Socceroos.
Yet little is known about Deng’s meteoric rise from modest beginnings to a starting A-League debut in the Melbourne derby, where he put on a man-of-the-match performance at a packed Etihad Stadium.
“It’s been a crazy experience playing in front of 40,000 people in what has really been a hell of a year for me,” Deng says.
“I think I have taken my chance and hopefully look to play more games for the first team.”
The 18-year-old defender was born into a family of South Sudanese refugees in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, fleeing the ongoing conflict in their homelands and eventually re-settling in Australia, joining the large South Sudanese community in Adelaide. At 14-years-old he moved to Melbourne’s western suburbs, continuing his junior football development at local club Western Eagles and making his senior debut as a 16-year-old in 2013 under the tutelage of Srecko Baresic-Nikic in State League 3.
“Back then I used to play as a central midfielder and it was pretty tough, particularly with the physicality of the league, which was extraordinary at the time,” he says.
A move to Green Gully’s U20 side in 2014 under Bob Stojcevski followed, where he was eventually promoted into the first-team.
Deng made 13 appearances and was one of the few bright sparks in a tough season for the 2012 VPL Champions, who finished just three spots above the relegation zone in 10th place. His performances at right-back caught the eye of Melbourne Victory National Youth League coach Darren Davies, who rewarded him with a youth contract.
A summer of solid performances in the NYL was consolidated by further impressive showings in the early rounds of the NPL 1 season, earning Deng the captain’s armband and a call-up to the Victory first-team squad for a league game against the Central Coast Mariners in Round 23. Despite failing to get onto the park, his form led to selection in Paul Okon’s Young Socceroos squad and a national team debut.
“It’s such an honour playing at an international level, representing your country Australia in what is essentially a whole different ball game,” Deng says.
Deng’s progression impressed Kevin Muscat, who subsequently handed the youngster a senior debut in the club’s Round of 32 FFA Cup tie away to the Balmain Tigers, where a composed shift at centre-back saw him retain his spot for the next win over Rockdale City Suns.
The good news kept coming for Deng, rewarded with a senior team contract and his first minutes of A-League football against Adelaide United – in his old hometown – in Round 1 following a red card to Leigh Broxham.
“After the last NYL season I started training with the senior team regularly and was just hoping to get the chance,” he says.
“Then Darren Davies told me that I was going to get signed just prior to the pre-season which caught me by surprise, considering I was coming off the back of my first NYL season.”
A year of firsts culminated in a starting debut in the A-League in the pressure cooker environment of the Melbourne Derby, with the teenager holding his own in a man-of-the-match performance in Victory’s 3-2 win over crosstown rivals City. Despite the intensity of the clash, Deng earned plaudits for showing a maturity beyond his years in the Victory backline.
“It was unreal but I didn’t really notice the crowd once I got settled into the game, and just stay focused throughout,” he says.
Further first-team appearances followed, leading to a first major trophy after making a late appearance in Victory’s FFA Cup triumph over Perth Glory.
Having already experienced a taste of success with the reigning A-League champions, the former Green Gully man is determined to maintain the momentum as he balances the demands of senior football with duties in the club’s NYL side.
“My goal this season is consistent performances in the youth team, in addition to accumulating more senior team appearances,” Deng says.
“When I get my chance to play with the seniors, I try and play my best and intend to bring this form and professionalism into my performances in the NYL, because in both instances I am representing the same club.”
“It’s been tough, with it being a long 12 months and my body still trying to handle all this pressure, it’s been crazy.
“The environment of the club is very good with all the playing staff and the coaches being very supportive throughout my time here.”
Despite his rapid progression into the starting XI of the country’s biggest club, Deng has not forgotten his roots and is committed to being a role model to the South Sudanese community in Australia.
While being a relatively new migrant group in Australia, the emergence of former Adelaide United winger Awer Mabil and Deng at a national level, as well as the likes of Heidelberg United’s Kenny Athiu and Werribee City’s Deng Aguek in the NPL, has highlighted the growing contribution of the South Sudanese community to Australian football.
“They are very passionate about the game but it’s all about giving them the chance,” he says.
“It’s been good to represent Melbourne Victory as it has given the younger kids in the community someone to look up to, and hopefully they can step up when they are older.”
In similar ilk to Jamie Vardy’s rise from non-league obscurity to English Premier League stardom, the progression of Thomas Deng – from State League 3 in 2013, to Green Gully in 2014, and now a centre-back role at the Melbourne Victory – is a Cinderella story in itself and highlights how continued hard work can produce unlikely heroes.