Last year we tipped Michael Zullo as one of the 10 best players outside the A-League. Check out who made the list this year after we scoured the state leagues and junior competitions last summer...
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Joel Allwright
Age 20
Club Para Hills Knights
League South Australian Super League
Position Attacking midfielder
There’s a lot to love about the way Cristiano Ronaldo plays his football. He’s fearless, side-steps defenders at will, and carries a bag full of tricks everywhere he goes. There’s also a lot to love about the way teenage sensation Joel Allwright goes about his football. He shares that passion and flair for running at defenders and making their life hell.
“I don’t have the array of skills that Ronaldo has, but I do try to play a bit like him because he’s so good,” says Allwright. “Ronaldo can pretty much do anything he wants with the ball.”
Allwright also appears destined to do anything he wants, too. Touted as perhaps South Australia’s best “untapped” young talent, he has several tickets on him from Scotland and the A-League.
The former South Australian Institute of Sport member was handed a four-week trial with Scottish Premier League club Dundee United last April. And shortly before he left for Scotland, Allwright was inundated with calls from Sydney FC, Newcastle Jets and Perth Glory.
The electric 20-year-old reveals there’s still interest from some A-League clubs.
“There has been a little bit,” he says. “I went to Perth Glory at the start of this year on January 2 for two weeks on trial.”
Allwright is no stranger to the big time, having graced the world stage with the Joeys at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Peru in 2005. He also trained with Adelaide United for three years, as well as Dundee, so the player is fully aware of what’s required to make it to the big time.
“It was very hard [in Scotland] and very physical and that’s where people have said I have to improve, and that’s what I’m starting to do this year, trying to strengthen up a bit more,” he says.
“They said technically, I’m ready to play, just physically I need to get that little bit stronger.”
John Iannantuono
Hamlet Armenian
Age 21
Club South Melbourne FC
League Victorian Foxtel Cup
Position Striker
For those outside Victoria who may not have heard of Hamlet Armenian, you might like to pay YouTube a quick visit. When you’re done, there’s a good chance you’ll be asking yourself why the South Melbourne striker hasn’t yet been snapped up by an A-League club.
There was some interest expressed by A-League outfits last season, “a couple of things fell through”, remarks the 21-year-old. Instead, Armenian’s tally of nine goals for the season saw the unfancied Whittlesea Zebras trot all the way to the Foxtel Cup Grand Final.
Goals may be Armenian’s bread and butter, however his work ethic and awareness of his surroundings see him rack up as many assists as goals scored.
It’s no surprise Armenian can virtually out-last, out-muscle, out-sprint, and out-jump many of his opponents. Ever since the 182cm South Melbourne striker made his Victorian Premier League debut at the young age of 16 for Bentleigh Greens, Armenian has worked to better himself in every facet of his game, never quite content to rest on his explosive speed, gazelle-like leap or prowess in front of goal.
“If I’m not training with the club, I’m at the gym or with my private coach. And the days that I have training, I do something in the morning, like a gym session, and then I’ll go to training at night,” he says.
“I’ve been doing it for the last few of years. As soon as I got into the Premier League I wanted to go higher, I had the vision and the drive and wanted to push it as far as I could go, to get the best out of myself. The only thing that holds you back is yourself.”
John Iannantuono
Lachlan Cahill
Age 22
Club Wollongong Wolves
League NSW Premier League
Position Left-sided midfielder/defender
A natural left footer? That’s akin to discovering gold in the current Aussie football landscape. And according to Wolves coach John Turner, Cahill is also good enough for the A-League.
“He’s the first one on the teamsheet,” the long-time NSW Premier League coach tells FourFourTwo. And as well as sharing the same surname as Socceroo royalty, Cahill also has an interesting background. He was part of a very good Joeys squad of 2003 before returning to Australia in the dying days of the NSL.
Cahill briefly joined Sydney Olympic playing alongside Iain Fyfe and Troy Halpin but the long wait for the A-League prompted some drastic action. A two week trial at Dundee didn’t work out but an offer of a scholarship to a US University was a different challenge. It was the best thing he ever did.
“My game’s improved incredibly in the three years over there. It is extremely competitive,” the 22-year-old stresses. “After a few months, I became like the Americans. They say in America, if you’re second, you’re a loser and it’s this attitude throughout the NCAA Division.
“I was coached by Shaun Docking at Coastal Carolina University, who’s this tough British coach. There are a lot of foreign players in the league and it’s very structured. It’s like playing for a professional club with training and the games.”
Cahill suggests the best collegiate teams would challenge the best in the state leagues. However, he returned to his hometown Wollongong to play for the Wolves earlier this year. In the back of his mind though was the hope of something bigger.
“I just need a chance. I’m pretty confident I can do it but I just need that chance to prove myself in the A-League.”
Oh, and did we mention he’s a natural leftie? Form an orderly queue here A-League scouts.
Aidan Ormond
Shannon Cole
Age 23
Club Sydney Olympic FC
League NSW Premier League
Position Wide midfielder/fullback
FourFourTwo checked out a recent NSW Premier League game to scout a player for this feature. But a shaggy-haired midfielder with a Beckham-like touch also caught our eye. His name is Shannon Cole and he plays for Sydney Olympic.
The midfielder scored two beautiful free kicks that night as “Oh-lym-pic” romped to a 4-0 win.
Like many players at this level, says his coach and former Socceroo Milan Blagojevic, they can fly under the radar of the A-League simply because state leagues are a second tier competition that receive little publicity.
“Shannon’s certainly been on the radar in terms of the Premier League but with the A-League it’s pretty much a revolving door. One player will go to Central Coast, one to Perth, one to Victory and so on. So there is a need of an injection of new blood,” says the 1992 Olympian.
“Outside of those stop gap solutions where some Premier League footballers have come in, it’s been hard for them to get on the A-League radar. And on top of that, if your side isn’t doing well, you’re not going to attract too much attention from the A-League clubs.”
Cole is in his third season of NSW Premier League football and, like Lachlan Cahill, he’s had a stint, albeit a shorter one, at a US university. “He definitely can make it,” Blagojevic adds of Cole. “He’s certainly got the right attitude.
He’s a hard worker and can use both feet. He’s a dead ball specialist. He’s also versatile. He’s got prowess but also a bit of mongrel in him to defend when necessary. I think it’s only a matter of time before he gets snapped up. And obviously the expansion of the A-League in the future will obviously lead to some door opening for him.”
For Cole at least, he’s playing for one of the most progressive footballing sides in the NSW Premier League – “and one of the most professional” Cole adds – under a sharp young Aussie coach.
The 23-year-old has become somewhat of a pin up boy. Could the A-League be ready for some “Bend It Like Shannon” magic?
Aidan Ormond
Age 20
Club Para Hills Knights
League South Australian Super League
Position Attacking midfielder
There’s a lot to love about the way Cristiano Ronaldo plays his football. He’s fearless, side-steps defenders at will, and carries a bag full of tricks everywhere he goes. There’s also a lot to love about the way teenage sensation Joel Allwright goes about his football. He shares that passion and flair for running at defenders and making their life hell.
“I don’t have the array of skills that Ronaldo has, but I do try to play a bit like him because he’s so good,” says Allwright. “Ronaldo can pretty much do anything he wants with the ball.”
Allwright also appears destined to do anything he wants, too. Touted as perhaps South Australia’s best “untapped” young talent, he has several tickets on him from Scotland and the A-League.
The former South Australian Institute of Sport member was handed a four-week trial with Scottish Premier League club Dundee United last April. And shortly before he left for Scotland, Allwright was inundated with calls from Sydney FC, Newcastle Jets and Perth Glory.
The electric 20-year-old reveals there’s still interest from some A-League clubs.
“There has been a little bit,” he says. “I went to Perth Glory at the start of this year on January 2 for two weeks on trial.”
Allwright is no stranger to the big time, having graced the world stage with the Joeys at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Peru in 2005. He also trained with Adelaide United for three years, as well as Dundee, so the player is fully aware of what’s required to make it to the big time.
“It was very hard [in Scotland] and very physical and that’s where people have said I have to improve, and that’s what I’m starting to do this year, trying to strengthen up a bit more,” he says.
“They said technically, I’m ready to play, just physically I need to get that little bit stronger.”
John Iannantuono
Hamlet Armenian
Age 21
Club South Melbourne FC
League Victorian Foxtel Cup
Position Striker
For those outside Victoria who may not have heard of Hamlet Armenian, you might like to pay YouTube a quick visit. When you’re done, there’s a good chance you’ll be asking yourself why the South Melbourne striker hasn’t yet been snapped up by an A-League club.
There was some interest expressed by A-League outfits last season, “a couple of things fell through”, remarks the 21-year-old. Instead, Armenian’s tally of nine goals for the season saw the unfancied Whittlesea Zebras trot all the way to the Foxtel Cup Grand Final.
Goals may be Armenian’s bread and butter, however his work ethic and awareness of his surroundings see him rack up as many assists as goals scored.
It’s no surprise Armenian can virtually out-last, out-muscle, out-sprint, and out-jump many of his opponents. Ever since the 182cm South Melbourne striker made his Victorian Premier League debut at the young age of 16 for Bentleigh Greens, Armenian has worked to better himself in every facet of his game, never quite content to rest on his explosive speed, gazelle-like leap or prowess in front of goal.
“If I’m not training with the club, I’m at the gym or with my private coach. And the days that I have training, I do something in the morning, like a gym session, and then I’ll go to training at night,” he says.
“I’ve been doing it for the last few of years. As soon as I got into the Premier League I wanted to go higher, I had the vision and the drive and wanted to push it as far as I could go, to get the best out of myself. The only thing that holds you back is yourself.”
John Iannantuono
Lachlan Cahill
Age 22
Club Wollongong Wolves
League NSW Premier League
Position Left-sided midfielder/defender
A natural left footer? That’s akin to discovering gold in the current Aussie football landscape. And according to Wolves coach John Turner, Cahill is also good enough for the A-League.
“He’s the first one on the teamsheet,” the long-time NSW Premier League coach tells FourFourTwo. And as well as sharing the same surname as Socceroo royalty, Cahill also has an interesting background. He was part of a very good Joeys squad of 2003 before returning to Australia in the dying days of the NSL.
Cahill briefly joined Sydney Olympic playing alongside Iain Fyfe and Troy Halpin but the long wait for the A-League prompted some drastic action. A two week trial at Dundee didn’t work out but an offer of a scholarship to a US University was a different challenge. It was the best thing he ever did.
“My game’s improved incredibly in the three years over there. It is extremely competitive,” the 22-year-old stresses. “After a few months, I became like the Americans. They say in America, if you’re second, you’re a loser and it’s this attitude throughout the NCAA Division.
“I was coached by Shaun Docking at Coastal Carolina University, who’s this tough British coach. There are a lot of foreign players in the league and it’s very structured. It’s like playing for a professional club with training and the games.”
Cahill suggests the best collegiate teams would challenge the best in the state leagues. However, he returned to his hometown Wollongong to play for the Wolves earlier this year. In the back of his mind though was the hope of something bigger.
“I just need a chance. I’m pretty confident I can do it but I just need that chance to prove myself in the A-League.”
Oh, and did we mention he’s a natural leftie? Form an orderly queue here A-League scouts.
Aidan Ormond
Shannon Cole
Age 23
Club Sydney Olympic FC
League NSW Premier League
Position Wide midfielder/fullback
FourFourTwo checked out a recent NSW Premier League game to scout a player for this feature. But a shaggy-haired midfielder with a Beckham-like touch also caught our eye. His name is Shannon Cole and he plays for Sydney Olympic.
The midfielder scored two beautiful free kicks that night as “Oh-lym-pic” romped to a 4-0 win.
Like many players at this level, says his coach and former Socceroo Milan Blagojevic, they can fly under the radar of the A-League simply because state leagues are a second tier competition that receive little publicity.
“Shannon’s certainly been on the radar in terms of the Premier League but with the A-League it’s pretty much a revolving door. One player will go to Central Coast, one to Perth, one to Victory and so on. So there is a need of an injection of new blood,” says the 1992 Olympian.
“Outside of those stop gap solutions where some Premier League footballers have come in, it’s been hard for them to get on the A-League radar. And on top of that, if your side isn’t doing well, you’re not going to attract too much attention from the A-League clubs.”
Cole is in his third season of NSW Premier League football and, like Lachlan Cahill, he’s had a stint, albeit a shorter one, at a US university. “He definitely can make it,” Blagojevic adds of Cole. “He’s certainly got the right attitude.
He’s a hard worker and can use both feet. He’s a dead ball specialist. He’s also versatile. He’s got prowess but also a bit of mongrel in him to defend when necessary. I think it’s only a matter of time before he gets snapped up. And obviously the expansion of the A-League in the future will obviously lead to some door opening for him.”
For Cole at least, he’s playing for one of the most progressive footballing sides in the NSW Premier League – “and one of the most professional” Cole adds – under a sharp young Aussie coach.
The 23-year-old has become somewhat of a pin up boy. Could the A-League be ready for some “Bend It Like Shannon” magic?
Aidan Ormond
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