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North Geelong Warriors FC
North Geelong emblem
Full nameNorth Geelong Warriors
Football Club
Nickname(s)North, Warriors, Croatia
Founded1967
GroundAustralian Croatian Sporting Centre Elcho Park, Lara
Capacity5,000 (200 Seating Capacity)
CaptainMatthew Townley
ChairmanAndro Jurković
CoachMicky Čolina
LeagueNPL Victoria
201512th
Websitehttp://www.ngwfc.com.au

North Geelong Warriors Football Club, previously known as North Geelong Croatia, is a semi-professional football club from the regional Victorian city of Geelong. The club is currently competing in the National Premier Leagues Victoria.

The club was founded in 1967 by the large contingent of ethnic Croatians in the city of Geelong[1] and is a regular participant in the Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament, which it has hosted four times and won for the first time in 2014.

The club's biggest achievement is winning the 1992 Victorian Premier League title – becoming the first promoted side to ever achieve such a feat.[2]

History

Early Beginnings

North Geelong Warriors FC was formed in 1967 as North Geelong Croatia by newly arrived Croatian migrants; namely Joe Radojevic, Vinko Radojevic, Aldo Siketa, Ivan Sesar and Mirko Hrkac.[3] The club's first season saw them compete in Division 2 of the Ballarat and Geelong Districts Soccer Association in 1968.

The club slowly moved its way up the Victorian leagues. By 1972 the club was competing in the Victorian Provisional League. But that year would prove to be a dark year for the club. North Geelong was expelled from the Victorian Provisional League after an altercation in a match with Werribee City FC. North Geelong was accepted back into the Ballarat and Geelong Districts Soccer Association competition in 1973, but did not re-enter the Victorian Provisional League until 1979. The club achieved back-to-back championships in 1980 and 1981. By 1984 the club had risen up to Division 2 where they remained until they won the Division 2 title in 1989, achieving promotion to Division 1.

Victorian Premier League Success

1990 saw Melbourne Knights FC legend Branko Culina take over as head manager. He would lead the side for three seasons and go on to have an incredible impact on the club in what would be its most successful period. In 1991, the club won the Division 1 title, finishing a point ahead of Knox City. Their clinching of the Division 1 title meant that the side would be competing in the Victorian Premier League for the first time in the club's history. In its inaugural season, the club surprised everyone, finishing first and collecting the Minor Premiership. The club then went on to make the Grand Final, where they faced former National Soccer League champions Brunswick Zebras FC at Middle Park.

North Geelong’s George Karkaletsis opened the scoring on the 22nd minute. Brunswick equalized 4 minutes later. North Geelong then ripped Brunswick apart in extra time, scoring 3 unanswered goals from Adrian Cervinski, Robert Markovac and Robert Cosic. It was an unprecedented event, the only time a newly promoted side had won the title in their first season. Players in this championship side included Steve Horvat, Adrian Cervinski and David Cervinski. All three players would become successful players in the National Soccer League. All three were a part of the Melbourne Knights National Soccer League championship side of the mid 90s.

1993 was another successful season. The club finished third in the regular season, making the finals for a second year in a row. But this time their finals campaign did not prove to rewarding as in the previous season. The club lost both its finals matches, including a heartbreaking loss in extra time to Sunshine George Cross. The next three seasons saw the club miss out on finals action, finishing mid table. But some joy came with the club producing another star player in Josip Skoko.

State League Years

1997 proved to be a disastrous season for the club, finishing 2nd last and being relegated to Victorian State League Division 1. In 1999 the club was relegated to Victorian State League Division 2 Nth-West. It had been a quick fall from the top. The club remained in Division 2 for the next 6 seasons, with poor results.

All that changed by 2005, when fan favourites Adrian Cervinski and David Cervinski had returned to the club. The club won the championship in 2005, losing only 4 matches and were promoted to Victorian State League Division 1. The club went into the 2006 Div 1 season with high hopes, undefeated in their first 7 games, but slowly they fell away, eventually finishing a respectable 4th and missing out on promotion to the Victorian Premier League.

With a number of players leaving the squad at the start of the 2007 season, North Geelong struggled throughout and were subject to relegation. However, with a new batch of players and new coach Vinko Buljubasic the club came 4th at the end of the 2008 season. In 2009 the club was promoted back into the State League Division 1 after clinching the Division 2 title.

After an inconsistent 2010 season, the club finished in 8th spot, well clear of relegation, but also lower than expectations. In the summer of 2011, Vinko Buljubasic was relieved of his duties as manager[4] and replaced by Ante Skoko with his brother, a recently retired professional footballer, Josip Skoko, as his assistant.[5] At the end of the 2012 season, with the club just missing out on promotion, the Skoko brothers stepped down from their joint post as managers of the club.

Appointed in early 2013 was young coach Mario Jurjevic who had previously been in charge of a Melbourne Knights FC youth side. A large exodus of players, which included key players either retiring or moving onto greener pastures, meant that a large void had been left in the squad which the club aimed to replace with talented youth. The project ultimately proved unsuccessful with coach Jurjevic replaced as manager half way through the 2013 season with the club languishing in bottom place. Previous managers Ante and Josip Skoko returned to the helm to try and steady the ship. Despite a heroic end of season effort where the club won four games in a row and put them into a relegation play-off match, the Warriors lost this game and were relegated to State League Two.

National Premier Leagues Victoria Years

After a restructuring of football in Victoria in 2014, North Geelong found their bid for a place in the National Premier Leagues accepted, therefore avoiding relegation and remaining in the second tier of football in Victoria, now known as the National Premier Leagues Victoria 1.[6]

In the Warriors' first ever NPL1 contest, goals from Matthew Townley and Vito Cichello saw the club come away with a 2–1 away from home win over sister club Dandenong City SC.[7] Ante Skoko resigned from his post three months into the new season, with the club in 11th place in the new 14 team league. Former St Albans Saints SC manager Micky Čolina took over[8] and the club went on a historic run of form, including a run of eight straight wins, equaling a club record set in 1991. The club sealed their promotion to the 2015 National Premier Leagues Victoria on 13 September 2014, with a 1–0 win over rivals St. Albans.[9] The club ended the season in second place, three points adrift of league champions Avondale Heights SC. The Club made it a truly famous season, capping off winning the pre-season Geelong Cup and Victorian Croatian Cup and achieving promotion by winning the Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament for the first time in early October.

Ahead of the 2015 season, the club re-signed head manager Čolina to a two-year deal and retained the core of the promoted 2014 squad. The season started with a 0–2 loss to eventual champions Bentleigh Greens at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex, followed up by a 0–3 loss to eventual premiers South Melbourne FC at Elcho Park, but Round 3 saw the Warriors record their first points of the season with an emphatic 6–1 victory over league heavyweights Green Gully SC away from home, with winger Robbie Zadworny bagging a fantastic hattrick.[10] It seemed a false dawn, though, as after 14 rounds of the 2015 NPL Victoria season, relegation looked certain for the Warriors, languishing in bottom place with just five points all season. North Geelong managed to turn things around, earning 16 points in the last 11 rounds of the season, including two wins in the last two games of the season against Dandenong Thunder SC and Werribee City FC, wins which relegated the two aforementioned clubs. The late rally saw the Warriors finish in 12th place and qualify for a playoff spot, playing against Melbourne Victory FC Youth. Unfortunately, the Warriors lost 2–0 in front of over 1,000 mostly North Geelong supporters at J L Murphy Reserve in Port Melbourne, confirming relegation to NPL2 for the 2016 season.[11]

As North Geelong prepared for life after relegation, the off-season rebuild began with a number of key departures, including 2015 Fan's Player of the Year Michael Grgić, who returned to former club St Albans, young talent Nikola Jurković, who joined the Melbourne Knights, Reardo Luka, who left the country to pursue a career opportunity and Juso Julardžija, who joined NPL2 rivals Sunshine Georgies, among others.[12] The Warriors reacted by swooping on Burakhan Koca, who had been released from Avondale FC upon the conclusion of the 2015 season.[13]

A momentous occasion was reached in the off-season when North Geelong announced that a partnership had been formed with NPL South Australia side Adelaide Raiders, a fellow Croatian-Australian founded football side.[14] North Geelong travelled to the Croatian Sports Centre in Gepps Cross and, on the 6th of February, took out the first ever Friendship Cup by a scoreline of 2-1, with new signing Matt Thorne and vice-captain Vito Cichello the scorers in South Australia.

Current squad

First-team

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Australia AUS Daniel Žilić
2 DF Australia AUS Darren Lewis
3 DF Australia AUS Matthew Townley (Captain)
4 MF Australia AUS Nikola Jurković
5 DF Australia AUS Anthony Banovac
6 DF Australia AUS Josh Pugh
7 MF Australia AUS Reardo Luka
8 MF Australia AUS Vito Cichello
9 MF Australia AUS Rudi Saglam
10 FW Australia AUS Yusuf Yusuf
11 FW Australia AUS Juso Julardžija
No. Pos. Nation Player
12 FW Australia AUS Gareth Richards
14 MF Australia AUS Mark Paleka
16 DF Australia AUS Michael Grgić
17 DF Australia AUS Nicholas Jurčić
19 MF Australia AUS Milan Sekulić
20 GK Australia AUS Hamish Flavell
21 MF Australia AUS Matija Dragović
23 FW Australia AUS Micheal Anderson
30 GK Australia AUS Tonio Barešić
99 DF Australia AUS Nathan Long knee

City of Greater Geelong Cup

North Geelong competes in the annual City of Greater Geelong Cup, previously known as the Geelong Advertiser Cup or the Geelong Pre-Season Cup.

The club has dominated the competition throughout the years, winning it a total of 20 times, the most titles won by a club in the competition. North Geelong holds many records in this cup, including the record of consecutive wins (7, from 1991 – 1997), biggest victory in a final (8–1 vs. Geelong SC, 1996 and 8–1 vs. Corio SC, 2012) among others. The Geelong Cup is in its 36th year with North Geelong winning more than half of the Cup's titles.

The club's record in the Geelong Cup underpins its status as the most successful club in the region of Geelong.

Rivalries

Rivalries of the club primarily include local clubs Geelong Rangers, Corio SC and Geelong SC.

Apart from these three local rivalries, which stem mostly due to the geographical proximities of the clubs, the Warriors also have somewhat friendly rivalries against fellow Victorian Croatian backed clubs Melbourne Knights and St. Albans Saints and rivalries against Serbian backed Westgate FC and Springvale White Eagles FC.

Affiliated clubs

North Geelong Warriors FC has a sister club relationship with Croatian-based clubs Melbourne Knights and St Albans Saints with the frequent movement of players within each club.

Presidential History

 
Name Years
Mirko Hrkač 1967–1968
Aldo Siketa 1969–1970
Vinko Radojevic 1971–1972
Aldo Siketa 1973
Mirko Hrkač 1974
Vinko Radojević 1975
Ivan Mrkogača 1976–1977
Pero Juran 1978
Mirko Hrkač 1979–1981
 
Name Years
Vinko Radojević 1982
Marijan Demo 1982
Ivan Mrkogača 1983
Martin Groher 1984–1985
George Steinbruckner 1986
Martin Groher 1986–1987
Marijan Demo 1988
Mirko Hrkač 1989
Drago Vlahović 1990
 
Name Years
Nikola Jurčić 1990
Stjepan Horvat 1991–1992
Pejo Marić 1993
Stjepan Horvat 1994
Steve Perinac 1995
Stjepan Horvat 1996
Drago Čosić 1997–1998
Branko Matijević 1999
Duro Tilinger 2000–2003
 
Name Years
Vlado Džajkić 2004
Ivan Perše 2005–2006
Stanko Demo 2007–2008
Josip Žilić 2009–2011
Daniel Deša 2012–2013
Božo Sesar 2013
Ivi Deak 2014
Andro Jurković 2015–

Managerial History

  • 2014–Present Micky Čolina
  • 2013–2014 Ante Skoko
  • 2013 Mario Jurjević
  • 2011–2012 Ante Skoko
  • 2008–2010 Vinko Buljubašić
  • 2007 Ian Williamson
  • 2005–2006 Robert Krajacic
  • 2000–2004 Robert Noggler
  • 1997 Adrian Beggs
  • 1997 Mate Božić
  • 1996 Steve Radojević
  • 1995 Eddie Kovačević
  • 1994 Bogdan Bonk
  • 1993 Tony Vrzina
  • 1990–1992 Branko Čulina
  • 1989 Andrija Albert

Honours

State

Other

  • Ballarat and Geelong Districts Soccer Assosiation Champions 1973,1974,1976,1977,1978
  • Geelong Advertiser Cup/City of Greater Geelong Cup Champions 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
  • Geelong Advertiser Cup/City of Greater Geelong Cup Runner-Up 1988, 1990, 1998, 2000, 2002
  • Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament Champions 2014
  • Victorian Croatian Cup Champions 2009, 2014, 2015

Individual Honours

Victorian Premier League Gold Medal – VPL Player of the Year

Bill Fleming Medal – Media voted VPL Player of the Year

Victorian Premier league Coach of the Year

Victorian Premier League Under 21 Player of the Year

Victorian Premier League Jim Rooney Medal – Grand Final Man of the Match

Weinstein Medal Junior Player of the Year

Divisional History

International Representatives

Australia

Socceroos

Australia U-23

Australia U-20

Australia U-17

Croatia

Croatia national football team

Notable coaches

File:North Geelong Warriors Hall of Fame.jpg
North Geelong Warriors Hall of Fame Initial Inductees 2007

See also

References

  1. ^ "Diversitat – Geelong Community Services – Croatian Community". diversitat.org.au. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  2. ^ "North Geelong celebrations | Sports & Editorial Services Australia". sesasport.com. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  3. ^ "North Geelong Social Club » Unsung hero of local soccer for nearly 50 years". northgeelongsc.com.au. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  4. ^ "North Geelong Social Club » North Geelong Warriors have parted ways with first team coach Vinko Buljubasic". northgeelongsc.com.au. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  5. ^ "North Geelong Social Club » New Season brings on changes at North Geelong Warriors". northgeelongsc.com.au. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  6. ^ "FFV announces NPL structure for 2014". Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  7. ^ Jukic, Ante. "Warriors claim three points in NPL1 debut". Geelong Advertiser. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  8. ^ Zilic, Josip. "Warriors Meet Sister Club With New Coach". GeelongIndy. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  9. ^ Woodger, Rusty. "Warriors sink Saints to seal promotion". Football Federation Victoria. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  10. ^ Willoughby, James. "North Geelong Warriors hand Green Gully 6–1 smashing". Geelong Advertiser. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  11. ^ Manuca, David. "Victory wins promotion at North Geelong's expense". Football Federation Victoria. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  12. ^ Kounelis, Jordan. "Emotional farewell for Luka, North Geelong part with seven". MFootball. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  13. ^ Federico, Tom. "Warriors scoop Burakhan Koca from Avondale". MFootball. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  14. ^ "North Geelong Warriors and Adelaide Raiders Announce Partnership". North Geelong Warriors FC. Retrieved 28 January 2016.

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