The inception of Gold Coast United was a thrilling time...
 
The level of hype surrounding an A-League club was something that most of its signed players had never experienced in Australia - and the excitement wildly ran through all the football families involved. Talk of private jets, waterfront training grounds, and first class player and family treatment were just some of the perks of being the players in billionaire Clive Palmer's own unique game of football, and everyone was up for the ride. 
 
I first met Shane and Nikki at one of the many family days held in pre- season, where wives would mingle, kids would play and the boys would bond. Shane was one of the key star signings - having just come off an exceptional year at Wellington Phoenix where he scooped up the three most coveted awards of the league - the Johnny Warren Medal, Golden Boot and Goal of the Year awards.
 
The hypefest that was Gold Coast United meant the club - and its high profile players - received huge attention from the media and club officials. Not only did coach Miron Bleiberg regularly refer to the in-demand striker as his "son" in the change room but it was well known that Clive Palmer had accommodated Shane and his family in a magnificent Sovereign Islands mansion as part of his contract at the fledgling club.  
 
What was fundamentally clear was that "Smeltzy" or "Smeggas" had arrived on the Gold Coast as Football Royalty.
 
But rewind just four years and you would see Shane and Nikki, then both 23, sitting in Adelaide Parklands contemplating their uncertain future.
 
"I had just been told by John Kosmina that I wasn't getting re-signed at Adelaide United and of course, while I had held out a bit of hope, I wasn't entirely surprised," revealed Shane. 
 
"I hadn't played all year. So we were pretty much left with a mortgage on our first home and no clue on what to do next."
 
It was then that they had decided they were going to go to the UK to try their luck and were hopeful it wouldn't be long before Shane found a team.
 
"We had nothing to lose", Nikki says. " I always believed in Shane and I knew it was only a matter of time before he would show the world what I saw in him."
 
Shortly after, Shane jumped on a plane to England with no team, no home to go to and no income. It is clear from the way he recounts the story that Nikki's support was part of the inspiration to keep going - that they were in this together, no matter where it led.
 
"Nikki's support never wavered," said Shane. "She got a job as a Flight Attendant for Qantas in the early weeks of being in England so for a while there she was the only one with an income. "
 
The next three years saw Shane move between four teams in the UK lower leagues where their English adventure would continue until they went back to Australia to get married. And when a beautiful, minimal fuss wedding was shortly followed by news that a baby was on the way - they decided it was time to come back home permanently.
 
"I had heard that Wellington was starting an A-League franchise and I knew immediately that's where I wanted to be. Even though I was an All White, I still wasn't really a starting player - so my early discussions with Ricky (Herbert) hadn't led to much."
 
Shortly after coming back to Australia, they found themselves again contemplating their uncertain future. Nikki was by then in the late stages of pregnancy and Shane was still without a contract. He even made a few phone calls to A-League coaches directly to plead his case.
 
"I called a few coaches desperate for a chance but wasn't even considered because I was a foreigner," he said. "It was around this time when Nikki and I realised we had to possibly contemplate doing something else, and so I looked into becoming a police officer.
 
"And then I got the phone call that changed my life."
 
It was Ricky Herbert on the line. There was an International game against Wales and he wanted Shane to head over as part of the starting line up.
 
"There were a number of players in the All Whites that were unavailable. He asked me to go over and indicated that this was my chance to win myself a Wellington Phoenix contract. Nikki was 35 weeks pregnant and I was still uncontracted - I knew this was my chance. And so I went."
 
Shane went on to score both goals that saw the All Whites draw with Wales - a team that included Ryan Giggs - almost scoring a hat trick in the 72nd minute.  
 
It was the game that sealed the future of Shane Smeltz - and just as his daughter Bonnie was born, the Smeltzes were off to Wellington.

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