Aaron Calver admits the opportunity to help shore up Glory's defence was a big reason why he is ready to pack up his bags and move to Western Australia.
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The Perth club announced last week that they had signed the Helensburgh product on a two-year deal as preparations continue for the next A-League season.
There has been a changing of the guard with nine players departing, while the Glory's new recruits include Calver and Central Coast defender Jack Clisby.
The Glory finished their 2020/21 campaign in ninth position, gaining a reputation for their goal-scoring prowess. However, central defender Calver said he hoped to make his impact at the other end of the ground.
"I was looking around for different options for next year and I know (coaches) Terry McFlynn and Richard Garcia over there at Perth, so I threw it out there and they were pretty keen. So it developed from there a month or two ago, and I felt like it was the best opportunity for me," Calver told the Mercury.
"They've got such a good attack. But hopefully I can help stop the leaking of goals. That was one area they lacked a little bit this year because they knew how to score, but I think they conceded quite a bit. Hopefully I can lock down a position and shore it up a bit.
"But I liked the way the coach was explaining the direction they wanted to go and above all, they want to get in good people which I think is the main thing in going quite far in the A-League."
Calver's journey to the Glory began during his junior days at the Helensburgh Thistles, before he went through the Wollongong Wolves system.
He then joined Sydney FC, making his A-League debut as a teenager in 2012. Calver spent seven years with the Sky Blues, winning two premierships and one championship before deciding to move to Western United.
Calver played 23 games for the Melbourne-based club but, at 25, the timing was right to find a new club ahead of the 2021/22 season.
"Things didn't go exactly to plan. I still played quite a bit at Western United, but I was in and out, and playing different positions," he said.
"I thought it was a chance for a fresh start in Perth with some familiar faces over there to try and kick on."
The Glory move will also be the furthest that Calver has lived from home. He admits it "will be tough", but he has always received "top class" support from the Illawarra community.
"I've got a few mates over in Perth so while I'm young and single, I have no problem moving around. So it will be good to experience a different city," he said.
"I will miss all of the boys back home and it's such a good football community. They always remember the local boys coming through, so I can't speak highly enough of the Illawarra."
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
