Yet another young Tasmanian earns recognition interstate

Photos (Top to Bottom): Goran Jozeljic in his Glenorchy Knights days; Greg Downes (left) in action for South Hobart [PlessPix]

Goran Jozeljic, another young Tasmanian playing interstate, celebrated success when his team, St Albans Dinamo, won the Victorian State League Division One title recently.

Jozeljic, 20, who played with Metro and Glenorchy Knights, is brother of Tasmanian Premier League referee, Ivan Jozeljic.

St Albans will be promoted to the Victorian Premier League next season and Jozeljc is looking forward to locking horns with another Tasmanian, Green Gully’s Mathew Sanders.

Jozeljic had a chat to Sanders recently and he is looking forward to catching up with him on the field.

Sanders followed the same path to the Victorian top flight as Jozeljic - via Metro and the Glenorchy Knights - and they played against each other in Tasmania.

“My season started off pretty slowly this year,” said Jozeljic, who is studying tourism at college.

“I didn’t get much time on the field initially, but half-way through the season the coach made some tactical changes which enable me to get a starting position up front.

“That ended up being very good as I finished as the club’s leading scorer with 10 goals.

“I’m really looking forward to playing in Premier League next season, which is the next step up, as it gives me another opportunity to play at a higher level.

“I think we’ll do pretty well and we’ll be aiming to finish in the top half of the table, of course.”

Jozeljic said that the game in Victoria was faster and more physical than in Tasmania.

“But, there is potential in Tassie with some of the boys that are playing there,” he said. “I’m sure some of the boys back home could easily make it here.

“Training is important, though. At St Albans, we’ve got a reasonable squad and everyone is fighting for their position.

“We’ve got a big squad and that means you really have to fight for your position and attend every training session.

“If you miss training, it’s very hard to get into the team, especially when you’re only training twice a week. If you miss one training session, it’s very hard to keep your spot on the field on the Saturday or Sunday when you play.”

A whole-page team photo of St Albans Dinamo, including Jozeljic, is in this week’s edition of “Goal!Weekly”, the Melbourne newspaper that is available at Ellison Hawker in Liverpool Street, the Mall Newsagency in the Hobart Mall, and at the newsagency in Northgate, Glenorchy.

This week’s edition also features a whole-page colour photo of the South Hobart team which beat Northern Rangers in the State Top-Four Final last Saturday, as well as a large photo of South Hobart’s victory celebration after the match.

There is also a whole-page colour photo of Mathew Sanders’s Green Gully team, as well as a match report of Green Gully’s 3-0 win over Richmond in the Victorian Premier League grand final. There are action photos from that match, including one of Sanders netting the opening goal.

This past week, therefore, has been a marvellous one for our young Tasmanian players active in interstate leagues, with Mathew Sanders and Green Gully winning the Victorian Premier League title and the grand final, Aaron Brazendale’s Sunshine Coast Fire winning the league and grand final in the Queensland State League, and Goran Jozeljic’s St Albans Dinamo taking out the Victorian Division One State League title and earning promotion to the Victorian Premier League.

South Hobart’s Greg Downes leaves next week for trials in South Korea and he then moves on to the UK to try his luck there.

I’m sure all Tasmanian football fans will join me in congratulating Mathew Sanders, Aaron Brazendale and Goran Jozeljic on their successes, and in wishing Greg Downes the best of luck on his journey and in his trials.