Just like in life, football always brings fresh opportunities and exciting new chapters.
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Moving to Perth Glory in the off-season brings exactly that sort of chance for me, but the new chapter will also begin with a taste of the old this weekend.
After parting ways with the Western Sydney Wanderers at the end of the last campaign, they’ll be making their was across to NIB Stadium to kick off round one on Sunday afternoon.
For me, it’s a fitting way to begin the next phase of my career in the West Australian capital.
There is no doubt Western Sydney will always hold a special place in my heart and I left the club with a lot of fond memories and respect for the organisation.
However, a new era begins this weekend and I’m excited to get started.
I know the boys are just as hungry to get out there after another long off-season.
One of the only benefits of the long break is that you really get a lot of time to work on things throughout the pre-season. You get vital time to correct those little issues the squad might have as you can really fine tune your shape and structure.
That time is even more of a blessing when you have a new coach and squad to work with like we do.
Personally it's been enjoyable taking a leadership role in that new squad.
As one of the veterans in the team, it’s been fantastic to be able to provide assistance to the younger players where I can. There is certainly no shortage of talent donning a Glory uniform this season.
With that talent on the books, we expect to be making to be making an impact on the competition throughout 2018-19.
New coach Tony Popovic has a history of success already in the A-League and I know from experience the sort of expectations he has on the playing group.
I am confident we can live up to those expectations and enjoy a successful season.
- BIG ADDITIONS
If you look across the opposing rosters, it’s clear that Melbourne Victory recruited the best in terms of marquees in the off-season.
Bringing in guys with the international pedigree of Keisuke Honda and Ola Toivonen will undoubtedly provide a big boost for them.
Signing that sort of talent also brings great expectations so it will be interesting to see how they handle it.