In his first season in the Singapore league, the 26-year-old former Rockdale Suns midfielder was on the scoresheet again on the weekend. 

The Aussie drove home a low volley against Warriors to extend his side’s lead to 3-1.

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But Brunei was left with 10 men after a red card and hung on for a point in a 3-3 draw, cutting their lead at the top to just a point.

Ricciuto has been a smash in the league, after coming in from the semi-pro NPL in Sydney.

He earned the accolades with a player of the month award for April and one of his long-range goals was voted most popular by fans. 

Three of his eight goals have been from range and with his fitness, the Aussie is proving a hit as a box-to-box role midfielder. 

And impressively for a deep-lying mid in a 3-5-2, he is now joint-second on the goalscorers charts in the Singapore Premier League.

The question is: how did the A-League not see this talent?

Ricciuto spent three years in the NPL before his move to Asia at the start of 2019, and barely registered on A-League scouting reports. 

Not that Ricciuto is worried. 

“Working as a professional has been amazing for my career. Each day I’m able to work on my finishing, my fitness, and my overall game to become a better player,” Ricciuto told FTBL today from Singapore.

“Whereas when I was in the NPL, I didn’t get the chance to train full time.

"And in the NPL back home there are lots of players working so hard to get their chance in the professional game.

Ricciuto in the 2018 FFA Cup for Rockdale Suns against Sydney FC

“A-League clubs might not want to take a risk, but it’s not much of a risk to bring in an NPL player. Economics is not an issue and you know they’ll give it their all.