HISTORY BECKONS FOR TIGERS
THERE might be a years-long friendship off the field, but as soon as Ari Isman dons the yellow and black strip of Edge Hill United, there will be no favours for the former Northern Fury teammates in MA Olympic’s line-up.
Isman has been one of the leaders of the Tigers’ defensive unit, the left back regularly among the first picked on the team sheet for the experience, leadership, skill and aggression he brings to this dominant side.
It was what took him to the NPL all those years ago, via the Fury, FNQ Heat and Cairns FC, and what makes him among the best defenders in the Premier League.
There might be a shared history with MA Olympic striker Robin Edwards, midfielder Mitchell Maher and defender Jake Perry – and familiarity with veteran defender Paul Kohler – but there will be no favours as Edge Hill Utd chases a history-making third consecutive treble on home turf. “Good luck,” Isman said. “There’s a few guys who I played alongside or against for many years. I played with Mitch, Jake and Robin in the Fury days. Paul’s had a long career, but I think we’ve got the attacking power to beat him.”
Edge Hill Utd qualified for the Crad Evans Shield by winning the league by an astonishing 19 points, and earned a hard-fought 2-1 win against Leichhardt in the grand final to claim two trophies in 2021.
Now, the Crad Evans Shield looms as the last piece of the puzzle, and the piece which will secure immortality for this dominant and proud group.
Isman has played a big role over those years, having been part of the squad for the entire run.
He did miss the 2019 Crad Evans Shield, which Edge Hill Utd won 1-0 against MA Olympic at Tiger Park, and Isman is intent on making sure he can celebrate the same outcome as he enjoyed against Saints Eagles Souths in the 2020 victory.
“The stakes are higher in these games, and this year is historic,” Isman said. “MA Olympic has won their double, and we’re really focused on winning the triple treble.
“We have some things to improve on but we have the experience.
“One area we’ve talked a lot about is our discipline. We gave away too many cards last week and in the finals, but this time we’re at home.
“We know they want to get physical, but we don’t want to get dragged into the dirty stuff.
“We want to be concentrating for the full 90-plus minutes and make sure we stick to our plan.”
Player-coach Crios O’Hare said Isman’s leadership and commitment shone through, despite the gun defender being unavailable for the majority of training sessions – and a chunk of their games – due to work.
“He brings a massive amount of leadership and ability to this team,” O’Hare said.
“He’d say the grand final wasn’t his best (when Isman was shown a yellow card in the first 20 minutes). But he did well to overcome it.
“He’s massive for us. He brings so much to this team.”
As for himself, O’Hare will be looking to add to his stellar season at striker, where he has scored 37 goals in 17 games. Remarkably, he went goalless in just four games - and those statistics don’t take his assists into account.
“It’s disappointing for me not to score but Josh Wilson made some great saves,” he said. “I’ve had eight goals in the past three games, so it’s not a slump. I’d like to score in every game.”