IT PAINS me to say this but it’s disappointing that the club with the best youth setup in the country seems to be the only one who doesn’t use their youth players.
Central Coast Mariners will only have 14 players available for the match against Adelaide next Sunday.
Surely it’s about time some of the youth players were given a go?
Melbourne Victory, the only other A-League club not giving game time to their young guns, can be excused for their lack of usage of youth players. While other clubs have used their young talent effectively, Victory simply have not needed to bring in players from the ‘lower ranks’.
On the other hand, Sydney FC have had plenty of injuries and a run of bad form. For them, youth payers have been the replacement of choice. Players such as Rhyan Grant and Brendan Gan have been outstanding in recent weeks and it’s fair to say that the risk the Sydney coaches took in giving them game time has paid off.
Perth Glory, Adelaide United, Queensland Roar and Newcastle Jets have also given game time to their young talent. From keepers (Birightitti) to strikers (Jesic), most of the players have repaid the faith shown in them with some brilliant performances.
It’s time for Central Coast Mariners to follow suit.
Now that the ACL and a possible finals campaign is looming, I can understand that they may be keener to bring in foreign players. However, for this week at least, they’re in a position where they don’t have a full squad and their only option is to call up youth players.
Their own youth players, that is.
I am, of course, referring to the Chris Triantis situation. No disrespect to him, but the Mariners have better players on their doorstep. I don’t understand why they are trialling him, a Sydney youth player, when they have perfectly good players already at their club.
So why have they not made use of these young players before?
Well, whatever the cause of it is, they will have to put it in the back of their minds now.
Something that I’ve noticed is that the young players who have recently played in first teams (e.g. Kofi Danning) have injected some life into otherwise spiritless performances. Having said that, I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, saying that whoever the Mariners may include in their squad is going to be an instant A-League star with a cult following.
But maybe this is what the Mariners need to secure a finals spot - an injection of energy, an exciting new talent and the opportunity to see how a certain young player copes in a high-pressure situation. Some of the guys in the youth team are 19/20 and there are several people that age, or younger, playing regular A-League football.
Some may argue that their lack of experience could be an issue, however, you have to start somewhere.
Here’s hoping that somewhere is next Sunday!
