We West Aussies are a pretty parochial bunch. Not quite as redneck as Queenslanders, but nowhere near as pretentious as Sydneysiders or inner-city Melbournite fashionistas, we’ve carved out our own little docile, laid-back, conservative and socially backwards niche on the beach. We’re traditionally the forgotten state - something that just happens to exist ‘over there’ outside the political and population powerhouse that is the Eastern states. That of course all changed when we started digging up stuff from the ground. I mean, it’s something we’ve always done, and people haven’t paid too much attention to - but all of a sudden a lot of this stuff got very expensive, and stuff-diggers got paid a decent amount to grab a shovel and sweat for a few hours.
All of a sudden, a lot of fashionistas threw down their berets and scarves, South Australians stopped eating crows (and packing barrels) and Sydneysiders ceased crapping on about financial markets and fanatical muslims for long enough to high-tail it to the west in search of a better (read: more expensive and materialistic) life. In many ways, that seems to be what’s happened too our football teams, too.
Made in WA
Back in 1996, Perth Glory FC was cobbled together from a collection of WA State League players, many of them from clubs like Perth SC (Italia, Azzuri, whatever - decide on a name already). They were sent forth to do battle with whatever the east could throw at them; and whilst they didn’t set the world on fire they showed up a few sides and gave an indication of what was to come in future. Fans too appreciated having their own side in the national competition, and being the flavour of the month as they were, the Glory even gained fantastic local media coverage as ‘our boys’ taking on the wastelands of the east.
Fast-forward to 2010, and at first glance the Glory lineup doesn’t look too dissimilar. Over 50% of the squad are Sandgropers - or at the very least, were raised and played youth football here like the Coyne brothers and Scott Neville. State-of-origin material, anyway. However, the devil is in the detail - just how many of these players make the typical Glory first eleven?
Chris Coyne, for a start, has been peddling his trade in China. His brother Jamie and Scott Neville fight it out for right back, but this season have generally both been in the first team because of injuries and suspensions. ‘Outsiders’ Andy Todd, Josh Mitchell, or Naum Sekulovski tend to have been making up any other defensive spots, though Perth boy Tando Velaphi is just behind them. Further up the field, former state-leaguer Todd Howarth plies his trade on the left wing, and... oh. McGarry, Burns, Pellegrino, Sterjovski, Fowler, Baird... hmm. None of these players are black swans (though in some cases, they might be geese...)
So that’s four players that you could call West Australian playing in our first eleven; and given our form this year, you can understand the call from some quarters to scrap the squad and build it up again using just locals. After all, if you’re going to watch your team lose, wouldn’t you rather want to see your local lads giving it their all, rather than some New South Welshman collecting a paypacket?
The Originals
As mentioned earlier, this all stems from the fact that in 1996, our club was a real West Australian football club. Players like Gareth and Craig Naven, Bobby Despotovski, Marc and Dale Wingell, Vas Kalageracos, Tommy Maras, Doug Ithier, Anthony Carbone, Robbie Zabica, Peter Vukrimovic, Paul McVittie and Scotty Miller all wore the Glory strip - in what can only be regarded as a Football West All Stars team nowadays. Not only did they sign on for the Glory though, they wore the shirt with pride and understood that they didn’t just represent another club in the national league, they represented the entire state of Western Australia - and boy, don’t we just love showing up those from the east!
Their passionate, fast, attacking brand of football, played with their hearts on their sleeves, won them admirers from around the country and saw the Perth public flock to this new outlet of parochialism. Over time would come names like Jamie Harnwell, Jason Petkovic, Jamie Coyne, Ivan Ergic, Nick Ward, and Nicky Mrdja; all products of local clubs, leagues, and training systems - and some of them Australian footballing legends in their own right.
The important thing to note about the early squads was that they were not 100% black and gold; indeed, we imported overseas and eastern states players the same as we do today. However, we only imported players when we needed them. For instance, few would argue that Con Boutsianis was the sort of player that could be found in WA. He was an incredible talent in dead-ball situations - with a freakish ability to spot weaknesses in a defence and either send a ball through, or run in behind himself to slot through a goal. Someone like ‘Boutsi’ added strength to the Glory not just through his natural talent, but also his cult hero status; “We’re all going to rob a bank... and Boutsi’s gonna drive us...” Other early ‘honourary’ West Australians can be found in the form of defenders Vinko Buljubasic and Gavin Wilkinson, Brazilian midfielder Edgar, or legendary Australian striker Damian Mori. These players were brought in only because there was no-one better locally.
Football West clubs might see things a little differently, but I don’t think it was really until the A-League started up that this last rule was broken. Sure, we poached good players from the eastern states towards the end of the NSL - mercenaries like Simon Colosimo or Championship winners like Matty Horsley - but one could still argue that WA clubs didn’t have players of that calibre in those positions. Come the A-League though, and you couldn’t say the same for the following:
Brian Deane (2005) Okay, so he was the first person to score in Premier League history. Cool. How long ago was that? The first in a series of disastrously high-paid Perth signings, Deane left the club in shame and his role could easily have been filled by a decent Perth local (or, as was the case then, Damian Mori). Sure, we could also have gotten someone from overseas who might have actually been useful, but the fact remains the money spent on Deane could easily have been spent on a tall local striker for the same output, not to mention with a bucket of cash in reserve.
Steve McMahon Jr (2005) Fans who currently deride Jamie Coyne for inept footballing skills had a much bigger fish to fry back in Steve McMahon’s reign as Glory coach - his son. “McJu” might have scored an early goal in the A-League for us, but his level of performance would have been state league at best. Indeed, youngsters such as Ryan Pearson would - under a fair coach - be fighting to keep him out of the side. Look at young Scott Neville, and you’d wonder how Junior would even hope to gain a bench spot with the ex-Sorrento player around.
Naum Sekulovski (2005-*) Maybe it’s a harsh call, but when you consider the singular position of left back, you’d have to believe that there’s a state league player in this position who could out-perform Naum. Why? Because he’s a striker - no wait, an attacking midfielder. No - a left winger. No - a left midfielder. No - apparently he’s now a full back. Or as he likes to claim on NaumTV, “a flying wing back”. Whatever. You’re not a left back Naum; or if you are, you’re one of the worst in the league. On the attack you’re quite effective at times - defensively, you’re all cards and standing 20m off your man. There’s got to be someone better. Johnny Migas or Trent Kay are essentially around the same skill level, probably better defensively, and they’re local produce.
The Simpsons... (2007) Oh god, what can you say about Tyler and Jordan Simpson? One believed that the ball was never destined to hit the ground - he hoofed and headed his way about the pitch - and the other gained an inexplicable Olyroos call-up which simply had to be engineered by coach Ron Smith to justify his recruitment. There were definitely better right backs to be found at home, and have you seen the quality of some WA attacking mids? Even relatively young guys like Josip Magdic would put Jordan to shame, let alone some of the more experienced heads found at Perth, Floreat, or the Western Knights.
Jeremy Christie (2006) Was there ever a bigger waste of an international spot? Nearly 20 games of mediocrity for the Glory, and most fans saw nothing that someone like the Western Knight’s David Micevski couldn’t provide at a cheaper price, without wasting a precious visa spot. Hell, Howie Fondyke’s scything of Kevin Muscat puts him well and truly above Christie in the Glory rankings.
Michael Baird (2010) What a waste of space this guy is. He gets in the right positions, he runs all around the place, and he looks like he wants to score - but he doesn't. There are a number of local strikers who could do the same job - Stirling Lion's Phil O'Callaghan has won multiple Golden Boots in the state league, and there are plenty of youth league options too - but frankly, I think I could even do the above and demand less money than Baird. And I'm West Aussie through-and-through.
So as you can see, the Glory faithful have a number of reasons to question why local talent hasn’t been used to a greater extent. Throw into the mix that state league clubs have long been resentful of this fact and it’s a move that’s not winning the club any fans. When the club is down on the canvas as we currently are, one thing fans can cling onto is that at least it’s their boys out there playing for their town. But of course, it’s not - Burns isn’t a sandgroper; nor is Pellegrino or Sterjovski.
No one is saying that the whole team needs to be from the West - there are always going to be gaps in a particular state league or region, whether it be a dearth of good left backs or a creative midfielder with strong dead-ball skills. Additionally you’ll always find good buys over east or overseas who can augment your team through their superior skill or experience. But if you’re comparing two players of about the same skill level, why wouldn’t you choose the one with ties to your club’s home town?
At the very least, we’ve still got something to cheer for when we spend our days going into matches and knowing that we’re going to lose.
