The Loose Cannon - Issue 127

Page 1

MATCHDAY SPONSOR

Kids Korner

WORD SEARCH

CAN YOU FIND ALL THE WORDS?

WORD SCRAMBLE

unscramble the LETTERS to reveal the names of mariners CAPTAINS

KOCIUVV NSOIM

WORDS

TO FIND: FARRELL ROUX TULIO

MORESCHE SOZER WINDUST NKOLOLO TRIANTIS

WHO AM I?

CAN YOU GUESS WHO THE PLAYER IS?

1. I MADE MY PROFESSIONAL DEBUT FOR PERTH GLORY BACK IN 2013, before joining the central coast mariners later that year

TMYOERGNOM UHHSNOCTIN RSPCNEE ?

2. MY FIRST TWO GOALS WERE BOTH AGAINST WELLINGTON PHOENIX which resulted A win in both matches

3. I CAPTAINED THE MARINERS FOR ONE MATCH in 2016 in absence of regular captain nick montgomery

ANSWER: STORM ROUX

A) ALLIANZ STDIUM B) BANKWEST STADIUM C) CENTRAL COAST STADIUM D) OPTUS STADIUM ANSWERS: 1-A, 2-B

AGO: MARINERS CHAMPIONSHIP

10 seasons ago the Central Coast Mariners made history. A small club with a proud supporter base reached the top of the A-League in what was truly an incredible moment.

It was an achievement that had been coming, building over the previous seasons, making the moment that Peter Green blew his whistle to signify full time all the more special.

After falling to Brisbane in the grand final two seasons before and Perth in the preliminary final the previous campaign, the Mariners were determined to finally secure a maiden A-League championship.

The regular season went well for the Central Coast, finishing in second place behind the newly formed Western Sydney Wanderers. Back-to-back losses against the Wanderers and Sydney FC saw the side narrowly miss out on the premiership, with all eyes on the final’s series.

Three Mariners players, Trent Sainsbury, Michael McGlinchey and Daniel McBreen made the A-League team of the season, with McBreen also awarded the golden boot.

By finishing in the top two, the Central Coast along with the Wanderers had the first weekend of finals off. Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar dispatched of

Perth and Adelaide respectively.

In front of over 10,000 fans at what was at the time called Bluetounge Stadium, the Mariners needed to secure a victory over Melbourne to set up another grand final appearance.

A McBreen screamer from outside the penalty area separated the two sides on that night, with the Mariners booking their place at Allianz Stadium the next week.

With midfielder and current Mariners head coach Nick Montgomery out of the match after picking up a red card in the preliminary final, it was going to be a big test for the side. The Central Coast had the best of the chances early, with Mile Sterjovski chipping Wanderers goalkeeper Ante Covic, only to be denied by the crossbar.

The sides first half dominance paid off, with Patrick Zwaanswijk scoring our first to hand us the 1-0 lead at the break. The goal coming off a McGlinchey corner, with the centre defender heading it home to open the scoring.

The striker did just that, sending Covic the wrong way as he blasted it into the top left corner. This two-goal advantage was maintained until the final whistle, as Graham Arnold’s side celebrated the historic and deserved victory.

That day is one of the proudest in the club’s history and will forever be remembered. Some of those ex-Mariners are in the stands tonight, others unable to attend. The club would like to thank all involved in that championship season, as they put the Central Coast on the map with a historic title.

The clear top two sides over the regular season, with ten points separating the second place Mariners from third place Victory, it was set to be a truly mouthwatering clash.

The new kids on the block against the side that had gone so close without secure the gold before, with a team to be crowned champions for the first time that Sunday afternoon.

Chances for both sides followed to kick off the second period, with nothing getting past Covic nor Mathew Ryan in the Mariners goal. That was until Wanderers defender Jerome Polenz handled the ball in the area, with McBreen given the responsibility to convert the subsequent penalty.

WILL MAKEPEACE AUTHOR
10
yearS

How to enter: Click on the QR code below to take you to the enquiry field to obtain PrePaid Funeral Plan information*

EACH ENTRY WILL GO INTO THE DRAW

Draw will take place at the last home game of the season

A 2023 CC MARINERS SIGNED JERSEY
*Terms and conditions apply –please check the website.

BRIAN KALTAK

The brick wall of Gosford, the barricade of the Brisbane Water even the permanent partition in front of the Palm Trees!.... but for the sake of the article let’s call him Kaltak, Brian Kaltak. It has been the sweeping moves of the Mariners attacking department that have been the talk of the town in the A League of late. Goals galore, backheels, flicks and one touch movement that are filling highlight reels nationwide. However, one member of our squad has just been on fire recently and has played a massive part in the Mariners on field success.

Kaltak, the current national captain of Vanuatu, has made every post a winner, especially since his unfortunate send off against Macarthur in round six of the competition. Strong on the ball, Kaltak never backs away from a challenge with many opponents keeping a look over their shoulder when in the vicinity of our defensive hardman. It’s not just his toughness that we have grown to love but Kaltak has a fantastic turn of speed and has tracked down many an attacker who have tried to escape him.

It was really great to hear that the Vanuatuan has recently extended his contract on the Coast until the end of the 24/25 season, which is great news for Mariners fans, not so for the striking brotherhood from all the other A League

clubs. The gently spoken Kaltak is becoming quite the fan favourite and at the time of writing is well in the mix for the prestigious Alex Tobin medal. An aerial master with a tackle that hits like concrete, I can’t wait to see the continued impact Kaltak has this season. And while deservedly the TV highlights cover our brilliant moves forward make sure you keep an eye on the backline….on the brick wall of Gosford….he aint moving!

SCAN TO PLAY NOW
MARTIN RAYNER AUTHOR

2022-23 KIT NOW GET YOUR

Academy ready for the 2023 season

The NSW FOotball season is almost upon us, with all of the Mariners ACADEMY sides hard at work ahead of the commencement of the respective competitions.

The Mariners men’s academy side will kick off their NPL 1 journey at Pluim Park NEXT Sunday afternoon, with the side set to face off against Western Sydney Wanderers at 3pm.

Filled with exciting youngsters with the potential to break into the first team in the not-too-distant future, Luke Wilkshire’s side is ready to take the competition by storm.

The Women’s team will be making their season debut in mid-March, with the first match scheduled for March 12th against St George.

Keep an eye out on our socials and website over the coming weeks to get regular updates on all of our academy, with age groups beginning their 2023 season throughout the next month and a half.

PROUD SPONSOR OF THE CENTRAL COAST MARINERS

steadfast.com.au

MARINERS SIGNINGS & EXTENSIONS

It has been a massive few weeks for the Central Coast Mariners, with six players putting pen to paper to officially sign for the first team or extend their current contracts.

The contracts demonstrate the Mariners clear aim to both lock down current and future stars on deals, as well as give exciting talents a chance to shine on the Central Coast.

The signing spree begun with Brian Kaltak officially extending his contract with the Mariners until the end of the 2024/25 A-League Men’s season.

After joining the club at the beginning of this season as an injury replacement for Moresche, the Vanuatu national team captain has gone from strength to strength.

His athletic and courageous defensive style has seen him make numerous last ditch plays to keep goals out, including his memorable block off the line with his head against Newcastle.

He has quickly become one of star defenders in the competition, with many other clubs around the league looking to bring him into their sides.

Kaltak instead opted to extend with the Mariners, staying loyal to the club and head coach Nick Montgomery for giving him his first chance at the professional level.

The defender has proven how crucial he is to the Mariners side throughout the season, with our head coach pleased to have secured his services for the 2023/24 season.

Only five days later the club announced the signing of exciting youngster Christian Theoharous, after the forward left former club Western United.

Having had a breakout season with Melbourne Victory in their championship winning 2017/18 campaign, he moved to Borussia Monchengladbach.

Just a day later, Mariners stalwart Storm Roux signed a one-year extension, keeping him at the club until the end of next season. After making his debut for the MARINERS in the 2013/14 season, Roux has made over 100 appearances for the club over two stints.

Following three years with Melbourne Victory, the defender returned home to the Central Coast at the beginning of our last campaign under Montgomery. He enjoyed a pleasing return, scoring our only goal in last year’s finals series.

He has performed brilliantly in the first half of this campaign, with Montgomery rewarding his efforts with an extra year on his contract.

Following Covid the forward opted to move back to Australia, with Montgomery believing that he has the potential to be a future Socceroo.

Theoharous showed serious promise off the bench last weekend against Wellington, almost scoring twice. His efforts were only to be denied by the woodwork and an incredible last-ditch block from a Phoenix defender, with the youngster demonstrating to Mariners fans his potential.

The final announcement involved three exciting scholarship players, namely Joshua Hong, Lachlan Bayliss and Sasha Kuzevski.

Both Hong and Bayliss were awarded a first team scholarship until the end of this season, meaning that they will be training full time with the A-League side.

The duo have played pivotal roles in our NPL success over recent years, with Bayliss ending last season as the NPL2 leading goal scorer.

Kuzevski has received a scholarship extension, with the versatile youngster’s deal now running until the end of the 2023/24 season. The academy product has had a pleasing start to his A-League career, making five appearances off the bench.

These included big minutes against both Adelaide United and Melbourne City, while he made his debut against Sydney FC in round eight.

AUTHOR
WILL MAKEPEACE

THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!

It takes a huge team effort on match days, and our home games wouldn’t happen without our dedicated team of volunteers working hard behind the scenes.

Central Coast Mariners would like to acknowledge the contribution of our wonderful team of volunteers and thank them for their valuable contribution to the club.

Thank you to each of our volunteers, from all of us at the Central Coast Mariners.

BOOTS FOR COOK ISLANDS

Hello Fellow Football families, We recently returned from a holiday in the Cook Islands and being Football Tragics we were able to find some local games to watch.

At the conclusion of the first game we watched, U/15 boys, we noticed that when they came off the field they were removing their boots and shinpads to pass onto the next team to take the field, the U/15 girls. Then again when the girls came off the field after their game they removed their already twice worn boots and shinpads and passed them to the next team to take the field, the U/17 boys! This was sad to witness and totally unexpected.

We then had a chat to one of the referees about this situation and said that we would like to find some way to help out here. She recommended who we should contact due to there being some issues with the Official Association. After making contact we had a visit from the Sports Manager from the Cook Islands Sports & National Olympic Committee (CISNOC).

We made the decision to see if we could obtain pre loved, reasonable condition, football boots and shin pads to send back to The Cook Islands for distribution to those families/players who could not afford to purchase their own gear.

This is where our Fellow Football Families can help us.

We will be collecting pre loved boots and shin pads for the next few months with our aim to get them to the Cook Islands in time for their 2023/2024 season.

If you feel that this is something that your organisation can help us with we would be happy to chat further regarding collection options.

Yours in Football

Sharon - 0437 149 069 sharon.pascoe@hotmail.com

Wayne - 0403 702 130 waynepp59@hotmail.com

Algis Andrew H Andrew S Bailey Brendan Cameron Caroline Chris David Derek Erin Francesco Graeme Kim Liam C Mason Matt Nick Pat Peter H Peter K Phil Robert C Robert I Robyn Tibor Todd Tony Vivienne
CORPORATE PARTNERS
MAJOR SENIOR ASSOCIATE & EXECUTIVE MCN - PLATINUM MCN - GOLD MCN - NAVY
COMMUNITY Tuggerah PLAYER AUTOGRAPHS
Thomas AQuilina brian kaltak JOSHUA NISBET MAX BALARD SAMUEL SILVERA jason cummings matheus moresche beni nkololo harry steele storm roux kelechi john jacob farrell daniel vukovic michael ruhs cameron windust daniel hall yaren sozer nectarios triantis bradley tapp sasha kuzevski james bayliss dor jok CHRISTIAN THEOHAROUS paul ayongo marco tulio Daniel Margush Gabriel Cleur Adama Traoré Rhys Williams Tomislav Mrčela Marcelo Ramy Najjarine Oliver Bozanic Kusini Yengi Miloš Ninković Sulejman Krpić Ruon Tongyik Tate Russell Tom Beadling Romain Amalfitano Daniel Wilmering Lawrence Thomas Jarrod Carluccio Yeni Ngbakoto Brandon Borrello Calem Nieuwenhof Terry Antonis Aidan Simmons Nathaneal Blair Alex Bonetig Zac Sapsford Alessandro Lopane Alexander Badolato 02 03 04 06 07 09 10 11 13 15 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 90 98 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 16 17 19 20 21 23 26 28 29 31 32 33 35 36 37 28 JANUARY - 7:45PM
SQUAD LISTS CCM v WSW

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