When opponents say they’d prefer to mark his team-mate Romario, you know Nathan Burns must have talent. But the country boy is keeping his feet on the ground

AGE 18
CLUB Adelaide Utd
POSITION Striker
LOWDOWN A trip to Darwin as an 11-year-old focused Burns on success

Eleven-year-old Nathan Burns was a surprise selection for NSW primary schools at the National Schools Championships in 1999. It was unheard of that a kid from a small sheep farming town in country NSW could be picked ahead of one of the city players. But not only was Nathan good enough, it was there in the heat of Darwin that the sports-mad country kid had his own football epiphany.

“In Darwin, Nathan discovered all these other kids at the tournament had been on tours to places like Malaysia, Fiji and Europe. That’s what inspired him,” Nathan’s father Ray explains. “He told me when he came back from Darwin, ‘Dad, this is what I want to do.’ All Nathan wanted to do from that point on was to play with the best players possible.”

Burns returned to hometown Blayney (about five hours west of Sydney near Orange) with his football ambition burning bright. As Ray recalls, “it was pretty much full-time with his football from then on”. Nathan ditched the other sports he was excelling in – such as cricket and rugby league – and began training and playing football every day.

By 14, Burns’ reputation from western region representative football had filtered through to the NSW talent ID system. He was scouted by the NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) football program in Sydney, and the young striker had no hesitation in leaving his family and friends for the big smoke.

For the next few years Nathan was billeted out and trained like a full-timer: five days at Westfield Sports High (Harry Kewell attended the same school in the ’90s) and four nights a week with NSWIS. It toughened him up mentally, but having their son five hours drive away wasn’t easy for Ray and wife Denise.



“It was a fairly traumatic time,” recalls Ray. “We said if that’s what you want to do. And he said, ‘Dad if I don’t like it can I come home?’ I think his mum would’ve driven in the car that minute and picked him up if he had said he wanted to come home. Without that family support, we’d never have coped.” Their son certainly did cope though.

At 17 the striker was learning his craft with the best players of his age. He’d represented the Australian schoolboys and the Joeys in Peru 2005, and he’d been picked for the Australian Institute of Sport and Young Socceroos.

But a friendly for the Aussie U20s against New Zealand in May 2006 was Burns’ ticket to the next level: the A-League. John Kosmina signed the talented forward shortly after (apparently from under the noses of the rest of the A-League) and Burns has flourished under both Kosmina and Aurelio Vidmar’s tutelage, two of our national team’s best strikers over the last few decades.


He caught the eye on his A-League debut in August. Arriving as a sub, Burns energised a subdued United side in their opening day encounter at rivals Melbourne. In fact, he almost scored after having the confidence to run at the Victory defence.

Moving into 2007, Burns is now widely considered the most talented teenage striker in the A-League. His goals for the Young Socceroos in India – he scored twice against Thailand but also picked up a needless red card – and his three goals for Adelaide have placed him on the radar. Furthermore, he is currently training with Graham Arnold’s Olyroos ahead of the qualifiers for 2008 through Asia.

It’s not just the goals, but the manner in which he has delivered them. He’s comfortable on the ball, naturally quick and athletic and is a confident striker of the ball. Little wonder he’s been compared by some to the great Liverpool forward Kenny Dalglish.

“Yeah, I do pinch myself sometimes with all the opportunities I’m getting,” says the quietly spoken Burns of his ‘next big thing’ status. “The Asian Champions League is going to be unbelievable in 2007 for Adelaide United. It’s going to be a busy off-season next year hopefully with the U23s too.”

As for burnout (no pun intended), the teen admits that while the new year will be a challenge, he feels fresh after mainly coming off the bench at United this season. And at 18, you get the feeling he’ll be one of the more potent options for United as they trek through Asia in search of ACL glory in 2007.

One Burns fan is Alex Wilkinson. After the recent Central Coast match in Gosford, the Mariners defender said he was relieved to see Burns on the bench – some compliment given United had Romario in their starting XI.

Not that Burns himself is buying into the hype surrounding him. Despite eyeing off Holland, Spain (“it’s more technical”) and the EPL, he says, “I haven’t achieved everything yet… I’m still a long way off. Everyone has that goal to play for the Socceroos and I’m the same. I really just want to play well in the A-League in the next two seasons, then secure professional football overseas.”

“He has terrific support from the local community and the local players are very, very excited about Nathan,” says Ray. “He’s a great ambassador for the town. I’m an Aussie Rules man, so I don’t know that much about football, but it seems a lot of people are saying Nathan can go far.”

For the moment Burns is getting accustomed to being the centre of attention. He’s now looked up to back home (he spent a day back in Blayney after that Central Coast game and was mobbed by local players) and he hopes more kids will follow Adelaide and the A-League because, “there’s not much there [in Blayney]. “It’s been such a long journey since I started to where I am now,” adds Nathan, of his life since Darwin.

With his potential, that journey may have only just begun.