“He's been outstanding, composed on the ball and great in the air,” McKinna said today.
“On the weekend against Jamie Harnwell he caused us all sorts of problems but I thought Nigel done very well on him. That's credit to the boy.”

Bouts of glandular fever and osteitis pubis have kept Boogaard out of action for seasons one and two of the A-League.

But a promising winter season playing for local side Central Coast Lightning in the NSW Winter Super League convinced the Mariners boss that the 21-year-old still had the golden touch.

And with those illnesses seemingly a thing of the past, the 2003 World Youth Championship Joey is looking to make up for lost time.

"On a personal level, it’s definitely good to be playing each game, there’s been a bit of chopping and changing at the back but the boys that have come in have all contributed massively to not conceding," said Boogaard, who's played every minute of the Mariners' campaign thus far.

However, Boogaard and the Mariners will have their mettle severely tested this weekend when they take on an Adelaide United side featuring the equally outstanding Nathan Burns and Bruce Djite upfront.

"It’s definitely going to be tough,” added Boogaard. “With Burnsy and Bruce up front they’re definitely going to be dangerous but we’re going to go out there and try to get a clean sheet and if we do that then we can’t lose."