Olympic brick wall the quiet achiever
I think he is the best keeper in the league.”
MA Olympic brick wall Josh Kassulke lives for the big game moments.
The keeper has been a crucial cog in their charge to three-straight premierships, and skipper Mitch Maher believes his crowning moment will come between the sticks tomorrow night.
Kassulke inspired Olympic’s extra time victory in the major semi-final a fortnight ago after cutting off several Saints Eagles Souths attacking raids.
But off the field the young keeper paints a much different story.
He is the Jekyll and Hyde of goal keepers, cutting a quiet and reserved figure in the sheds before exploding on to the field.
“It is a bit different, he usually just sits in the corner with his headphones on, he is calm and keeps to himself and it works for him,” Maher said.
“But when we are out there he is one of the loudest on the field. When mistakes are made at the other end of the field, he is the first to be yel
Mitch Maher MA Olympic skipper ling at the guys to keep their heads up. He is a really supportive guy.”
But his support for his teammates isn’t limited to just words. Kassulke has been one of the Premier League’s best keepers this season, with five clean sheets including a 1-0 win over grand final opponents Saints Eagles Souths in Round 4.
“I think he is the best keeper in the league,” Maher said. “He is always ready for the big moments.
“In our game against Warriors (in the final round), we were down and out and Josh pulled off this amazing save and we went on to win.
“All of our team knows we can rely on him in those big moments. It just gives us that extra bit of insurance knowing he is behind us.
“This is his third grand final in a row. He has been our starting keeper for the past three years and he has only improved over the years.
“He is always there for us as a team and he hasn’t let us down yet.”
While he make training can’t always sessions with the labourer working long hours most days, he has still found the time to help the next generation of MA Olympic glovemen.
Kassulke has worked closely with the club’s reserve grade keeper Joseba Kelly, who has stepped up for his first season of senior football, as well as Youth Men keeper Josh Eckford.
Kelly will use all of his lessons tomorrow when Olympic’s reserve grade side go head-to-head with Saints Eagles Souths in the grand final at 5.30pm.