When Nikola Jurkovic came off in the 84th minute on Saturday with North Geelong desperately hanging on to a 1-0 lead against Green Gully, the remaining handful of minutes on the pine may have felt longer than his time on the pitch, such was the suspense of waiting for the final whistle.
The eventual victory, however scrappy it may have been, was absolute gold dust in a season where North Geelong are deeply entrenched in a relegation battle.
The 17-year-old’s development has been a silver lining in a difficult debut NPL campaign for the Warriors, putting in tireless shifts bursting up and down the midfield with Schweinsteiger-like steel and determination.
For all the tribulations his team has faced this season, the 17-year-old has thrived in the spotlight, grasping the opportunity handed to him by coach Micky Colina, who masterminded last year’s surge up the NPL 1 ladder for promotion.
“Life is good, I’m enjoying every minute,” Jurkovic says.
“Although the results aren’t great, I’m looking forward to the challenge of getting results to complete a successful year.
“Micky has really kept the boys in good spirits, we believe we can achieve the results to survive.
“As he says, we will fight to till the end and hopefully succeed in our endeavours to stay in the top flight.”
Like many past and present Warriors, Jurkovic has grown an affinity for his childhood club, which is as much a social hub for the Croatian and Geelong community as it is a place for boys and girls to improve their football.
Having started in the Under-7s as an attacker, a five year stint at Melbourne Knights from the age of 10 helped mould him into a midfield hard-man, where he is now reaping the rewards back at Elcho Park.
“I think I have decent season so far, being so young I can see areas for improvement. My goal is to play my part in achieving the team goal,” he says.
“The boys have been excellent to me, they are like a second family to me, couldn’t ask for a better crew.
“[Guys such as] Reardo Luka, Vito Cichello and Darren Lewis dish out the best banter in the side, you never know what to expect, but they are also great mentors, as are the rest of the team.
“I’m just lucky to be surrounded my a great bunch of lads.
“Micky has also been great for me personally in establishing myself as a starting 11 senior player, don’t think you could find a better coach in our situation.”
But for a player whose idols include Patrick Viera, Mark Viduka and Warriors legend Mijo Trupkovic, Jurkovic remains modest about his future ambitions, appreciating just being able to spend time playing the sport he loves.
“I just want to enjoy every experience in every game, and follow football to wherever it takes me,” he says.
“Off the pitch I just want to enjoy the challenges life brings me in the next few years.
“It’s tough because all I think about is getting on the field and playing football, but my family keep me in check with my schooling.
Image: Ivan Dugandzic