Four rounds into the new Elitserien season and the Scandinavian nation’s oldest club are off to a flier with their Antipodean contingent attracting a lot of love.
 
The influence of the Dark Blues’ Aussie recruits was perfectly illustrated over the weekend, with new arrivals Nick D’Agostino and Patrick Yezbek grabbing a goal and an assist between them in the eight-time league champions’ 7-3 thumping of HamKam, whilst Socceroos utility Gianni Stensness put in a solid shift at the back.
 
Viking sit fifth on the ladder and Stensness - ruled out of 2022 World Cup calculations through injury - believes the little Antipodean corner of the SR Bank Arena can become a cornerstone of the club’s sustained success as the year unfolds.
 
After a disappointing end to last season, the player convinced by Graham Arnold to switch from New Zealand to Australia sees only upside from the Aussie influx.
 
“Obviously I was here last year but it’s really pleasing to see both Dags and Yazi settle in fast and make an impression,” Stensness told FTBL.
 
“They’ve both scored and Daggs is also the top assister in the league at the moment. We probably deserve a few more points than we’ve got and I think we can pick up a lot more momentum in the coming weeks.
 
“The crowd is loving the energy of the team and both Dags and Yazi bring a lot of that into the side. Yazi is a huge runner and clocks up the most kilometres in the team whilst Dags is a hard working striker who makes a lot of tackles as well and closes defenders down.
 
“All three of us lift the team and the energy in the stadium in that regard I think. I think there’s plenty more to come as well.
 
“Yaki has only just turned 21 and Dags is still 24 and it’s their first time overseas experiencing something different.
 
“They’ve both got a lot of potential and are already showing their quality in this league. This league is a good platform for all of us - it’s the highest rated in Scandinavia.”
 
Socceroo D’Agostino’s capture from Melbourne Victory was possibly the final nail in the casket of Victory's failed A-League playoff bid, whilst Yazbek’s move from Sydney FC offered him the chance to splash his talents on a broader canvas.
 
With two caps to his name, Stensness, 24, is looking to force his way back into Arnold’s configuration ahead of the next World Cup cycle as competition for the likes of Kye Rowles, Harry Souttar, Milos Degenek and Bailey Wright.
 
“It was a shame I didn’t make the World Cup squad - I had an injury (shin splints) which kept me out for five months in the lead up and stopped me going,” added the ex-Wellington and Central Coast Mariners man.
 
“It was a tough injury to deal with but I’m just looking forward to continuing to play well and I hope to be back in the squads going forward from here.
 
“It was just bad timing but missing out on the World Cup just keeps you hungry. The Asian Cup is also coming up in January and I’d love to be part of that. I’ve been in contact with the back room staff and Arnie himself and I’m certainly not out of the picture.
 
“There’s a lot of competition: both our starting two centre backs Souts and Rowlesy performed really well in Qatar, and are doing well for their clubs. But I still feel there will be slots available and my goal is to push for a staritng place.
 
“I’ve been playing centre back for my club where I almost have a dual role, when we have the ball I move into midfield like John Stones does for Manchester City. It’s a really nice role to have.”
 
Stensness doesn’t know where he’ll be next season - but has aspirations to ultimately move elsewhere in Europe.
 
“This has been a good first move to Europe for me and I feel I’ve become an important part of the team," he said.
 
“It’s nice to be back, fully fit and looking forward to this season and beyond. I think I’ll probably be sold within a year or so - I’m looking to move on to a bigger league at some stage.”
 
The likes of Belgium, France, Netherlands and Turkey are all possibilities.
 
 
 
 
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