Kyah Jovanovski is preparing for a Cringila homecoming after inking a deal with the Lions for their next Illawarra Premier League campaign.
The Lions on Tuesday night revealed that they had poached the Wollongong United young gun for the 2024 season, with the move seeing Jovanovski reunite with his former Crini coach, Jorge De Matos.
De Matos, who is gearing up for his second season at the helm next year, is hoping to go one step better after guiding Cringila to a second-place finish in this year's championship race. His side also made it to the grand final, where they fell 1-0 to rivals Coniston in September.
Jovanovski became a key figure in United's front third in 2023, and De Matos told the Mercury that he was delighted to entice the 22-year-old to the Lions den.
"Kyah was a top priority for us. He's been a great young talent throughout the league, and really done well at United," De Matos said.
"I've worked with him previously, originally at Crini, and then at United as well. So having him come on board for us is a no-brainer. He's a terrific young player with a great attitude and work ethic, and I think he will be an asset for us moving forward.
"He'll be coming in and playing in behind 'Simo' (captain Peter Simonoski). So he'll be coming in and playing in the midfield, just in behind."
However, Jovanovski isn't the only signing that Cringila have announced this week.
Andre Dias and Jordan Prentoski became the 11th and 12th player to re-commit to the club for 2024, joining the likes of recently re-signed teammates James Carli, Ekoue D'Almeida, Stefan Dimoski, Harrison Taranto and Michael Mendes.
"The playing group is really settled," De Matos said.
"They've all re-signed, and the addition of Kyah - and with a few more that you will probably see in the coming days - the squad's really taking shape and we're keen for another season."
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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.
