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Dandenong Thunder have recruited former Melbourne Victory and Green Gully defender Rodrigo Vargas for the 2017 NPL2 season.
The-38 year-old was not offered a new Gully contract last month and has agreed to continue his career at George Andrews Reserve.
He becomes the first signing to be announced following the club’s decision to appoint Italian Giuseppe Anastasi last week as their new manager following the departure of Huss Skenderovic.
The two-time Socceroo began his career in 1996 when he made his senior debut in the VPL aged 17 at Springvale City under Gus McLeod.
He spent the following three years after that at the Port Melbourne Sharks before making his NSL debut for the Melbourne Knights at the turn of the millennium.
Vargas made 127 appearances in the NSL for the club, scoring four goals before departing Somers Street at the conclusion of the league in 2004.
He then joined Green Gully whom he helped win the 2005 VPL Championship before being rewarded for his defensive exploits in the VPL with a professional deal with Melbourne Victory in 2006.
The uncompromising central defender spent the next six years at the club, helping Ernie Merrick’s side win two Championships while also earning a long-awaited Socceroos call up in 2009.
A difficult final season under Mehmet Durakovic and Jim Magilton saw Vargas depart Victory after making a total of 139 league appearances for the club, scoring six goals.
He promptly joined Green Gully and helped the club claim the 2013 Dockerty Cup as well as being an integral part of the side that made it to the Quarter Finals of the 2016 FFA Cup.
In total, his second stint with the 9 time state champions yielded 111 league games, as well as seven goals with Vargas reunited at the club with his older brother Andy who retired at the end of the 2014 NPL season.
The 266 national league games veteran is expected to form one of the most experienced defensive partnerships in Australian football with ex-Socceroo Simon Colosimo who recently re-committed terms with the club.
He joins Alon Blumgart as the other new signing for the Dandenong South-based club, with has also been boosted by the re-signings of Brandon Barnes, Nick Modaffari and Fraser Maclaren.