The Roar star is delighted a structured pathway is now in place to allow talented youngsters to become affiliated to A-League clubs at an earlier age and have their progress closely monitored.

And while it might be a little late for Zullo to fully benefit from the structure, the bad news for full-backs everywhere is that he has a younger brother itching to follow in his footsteps.

The 19-year-old was plucked from Brisbane City to earn a deal with the Roar and while he enjoyed his football in that environment, he is delighted to see a clearer path to the professional ranks now opening up.

One of FourFourTwo’s young players of the year (alongside teammate Robbie Kruse) Zullo said: “I think you want to see a stable structure there and a pathway to getting yourself into the A-League.

“Hopefully this is something that can benefit my younger brother for example. He’s not the same type of player as me but can play on the left or right wing.”

It seems Julian Zullo could be the man to keep an eye on...

His big brother, as well as keeping a close eye on the youth league, is also watching and waiting for developments with regard to A-League expansion.

Both teams bidding to join the competition next season are Queensland-based and Zullo would love to see the state enjoy the same kind of spicy derbies played out between grand finalists Newcastle Jets and their F3 rivals the Central Coast Mariners.

He said: “Queensland Roar doesn’t really have a derby as such. I guess Sydney is the nearest thing we have to a derby match.

"To have some Queensland derbies would be awesome. It would generate a lot of interest and hype. You’ve seen how the Jets-Mariners thing has grown.

“Queensland is a tough market for sports attention and you want to have as much interest around your sport as you can.”

For now though Zullo is focusing on Olympic rather than A-League matters. He said: “It’s a massive goal for me (to be part of the Olyroos squad) and I’m hoping to do well enough to be part of Beijing in August.

"I think it would be a brilliant experience.”