LAST Saturday, Archie officially cemented his place on my “Kiwis that I’m proud to call Aussies list” joining Neil Finn, Phar Lap and Russell Crowe (maybe). And yes before you ask, I did consider including Richard Wilkins.

It’s almost as if Archie had read the script before it was written. When asked before the game if he felt he owed his team mates (after his suspension), a typical tongue-in-cheek response followed: "No. I've pulled them out of trouble so many times.” Cheeky bugger. True to his word though, Archie did it again, popping up to nod home the winner against an in-form Queensland.

Scoring goals has become a habit for Archie at Victory. With over 30 goals in three and half seasons, the agile forward is the A-League’s all-time leading scorer. He really is a cult hero amongst our supporters and I, for one, appreciate his dribbling skill, deft touch and willingness to take on a defender. Plus he’s got that invaluable ability to create something out of nothing. I must admit though, I wasn’t always sold on Archie – especially as our marquee player.

Sure he’d scored a lazy 13 against the giants of world football in American Samoa and lit up the European stage with the great Lierse (it’s in Belgium apparently), but I still wasn’t convinced.

Mostly because the likes of Sydney and Perth were lining up Dwight Yorke and Brian Deane... Shouldn’t we also be courting older, fading stars who are looking for a bit of Aussie sun whilst topping up their bank accounts, I thought?

The answer to me is obvious now. Dwight’s long gone. Juninho’s back in Brazil. Jardel has been put out to pasture. Apart from the occasional flash of brilliance, their legacy to Australian football is questionable. Signing big name foreign marquee players (the type that our clubs can afford anyway) just doesn’t work. It’s nothing more than a gamble – a short sighted strategy to get a few more bums on seats and briefly raise the profile of a club.

A better blueprint for long term success is to secure the type of marquee player you can build a team around. The type of player that understands Australia; is willing to commit to a club for two /three years; and wants to leave a lasting mark on Australian football. I reckon the fringe Socceroo fits the bill perfectly and there’s no better current example of that than Archie. Put a good support act around them like a Kevin, Grant, Danny, Fred (season two), Leandro (just kidding) and Ney (season four) and you’ve got a genuine shot at the league/championship.

So I say let the other clubs chase flashy marquee signings at their peril. A tubby and expensive Robbie Fowler anyone? No thank you – I’m more than happy with Archie.

Tristram is a Victory fan and wishes he could say that a knee injury curtailed his promising football career.