Seasoned veteran a boost for Mareeba

A FEW years away from the field will not dent the impact of former A-League player Wayne Srhoj on this year’s FNQ Premier League.

Srhoj is back in orange in 2020, last week confirming the worst-kept secret in FNQ Football circles when he took the field for Mareeba United.

It was his first game in several seasons - while he’d never confirmed he would play, he was a constant at the club’s training sessions during the off-season.

You could forgive the 38year-old veteran of 92 ALeague games, 63 National Soccer League appearances and numerous outings for the former state league Bulls if he was a step off the pace.

But the reports out of Lindsay Australia Stadium suggest he was anything but, playing a key role as Mareeba fought back from 2-0 down to share the points in a 2-2 draw with Southside Comets.

Analysing Srhoj’s impact after just one game would not do justice to the midfielder.

His influence on Premier League games each week won’t be understated, but his impact will more than likely be on the players around him.

Mareeba has a team made up of some of the Tablelands’ best young talent, and Srhoj’s presence on the field will ensure they can feed off the experienced right-footer.

That gives the club a pseudo second coach on the field, and a calming influence when the contest heats up - as it did last week when the Bulls were forced to fight their way back.

“He’s a big mentor to the young players and to me as a coach,” Mareeba coach Angelo Tatti said.

“I get a lot of feedback from him. You can see he’s a good leader - he tells the players what to do and where to go.

“He hasn’t played for a few years so you didn’t know what to expect, but playing in this league will be a totally different dynamic for him.”

Srhoj is expected to take his place in Mareeba’s midfield when they make the trip to Innisfail on Saturday to face the Cutters, who are coming off a 3-0 win against Marlin Coast in their season opener.