Andrew Packer

Four years after winning the inaugural A-League Championship with Sydney, Packer called time on his playing career at the age of 29.

The former defender spent just one season with Sydney, making 20 league appearances in their Championship-winning campaign, before moving to Brisbane Roar in 2006.

Packer stayed at The Roar for the next four years, before abruptly retiring from the game at the start of the 2010/11 season.

In 2014 Packer, now 36, was appointed as a strength and conditioning coach at Newcastle Jets, however he lasted less than a year in the role.

Mark Rudan

After becoming the first captain to lift the A-League Championship in 2006, Mark Rudan has now turned his attentions to management.

A fans favourite, Rudan made over 50 A-League appearances for The Sky Blues prior to joining Japanese side Avispa Fukuoka in 2008.

Rudan finished his playing career at Adelaide United in 2010 and went on to manage National Premier League side Sydney United in 2013.

In three years, Rudan led the team to two NPL and two Australian championship titles before stepping down last year.

At the end of 2016, Ruden was linked with the vacant manager’s job at Wellington Phoenix, however the A-League club elected to appoint coaches Des Buckingham and Chris Greenacre instead.

Rudan has also been an analyst for Fox Sports and an assistant coach for Australia’s under 19s team.

Jacob Timpano

A series of injuries may have denied Jacob Timpano a fruitful career at the top level, however the former A-League defender is currently making up for lost time in his first managerial role at NSW National Premier League side Wollongong Wolves.

Timpano, a former Australia Under 23s international, made 21 league appearances for Sydney in the 2005/6 title-winning campaign, however the defender played just five more times for The Sky Blues in the next two years- following multiple groin injuries, a bulging disc and a broken foot.

In 2015, Timpano decided enough was enough, retiring from the game at the raw age of 29. Later that year Timpano landed his first managerial job with the Wolves, who finished eleventh in a twelve-team league last campaign.

Timpano’s managerial highlight - to date - came in August last year when he guided the Wolves to the final 32 of the FFA Cup. The state league side were drawn against Timpano’s former employers, Sydney, however there was no fairy-tale ending as the Sky Blues advanced with a 3-0 victory.