Glory to blood 15-year-old

Debut ... Young gun Danny de Silva with Glory coach Alistair Edwards. Source: Perth Glory / PerthNow

Perth Glory is set to blood 15-year-old midfielder Danny De Silva against a Sydney FC team boasting some of the A-League's biggest names on Saturday night.

Glory coach Alistair Edwards this morning confirmed the teenager would start on the bench for the crucial clash, which features two sides desperate for points to keep their finals ambitions on track.

De Silva, who turns 16 next week, will have the chance to become the youngest player to take to the field for Glory.

The Stirling Lions product joined the A-League club on a youth contract last month, having previously played under Edwards with the Australian Joeys.

Edwards described the attacking midfielder as one of the most talented young players to come through the WA pathway.

“I’ve been coaching Danny for the last couple of years with the Joeys, and he’s an exciting talent coming through,” Edwards said.
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“It’s a wonderful opportunity not only for him, but for the club.

“It just sends a clear message to people within the state that if you’re good enough, and you’re talented enough, you’re going to be given an opportunity.”

If given an opportunity, De Silva will be sharing the nib Stadium turf with superstar Alessandro Del Piero and Australian greats Lucas Neill and Brett Emerton.

But Edwards said his young charge would not be overawed by the situation.

“He’ll fit seamlessly, and he’s trained really well during the week,” Edwards said.

“But in saying that, he knows he’s got a lot to do in terms of where he wants to be as a football player.

“He’s turned back opportunities to go overseas to a number of big clubs, and that’s another massive sign for the club moving forward - a player of that ability has decided to stay and continue his football education in Western Australia.”

De Silva said he was "buzzing" ahead of his senior debut.

"I'll definitely give it my best shot - that's all I can do. Hopefully I can help the team out," he said.

"(Sydney FC) have quality players, and it's going to be amazing to play against a World Cup winner in Del Piero and the captain of the Socceroos.

"Perth Glory have given me an amazing opportunity and I definitely think it's going to help me in my football career."

De Silva was presented with his No.28 playing shirt by club great Bobby Despotovski after training this morning.

Edwards said the gesture was part of a push to build the culture of club and embrace its 17-year history.

“I know the tradition of the club has been lost over the years,” he said.

“I’m not going to mask that.

“The simple fact is there are some fantastic people who have played for the club, and while Gareth Naven and myself are here, they’re going to be fully embraced by the club moving forward.”

In another boost for the club, Edwards said defender Michael Thwaite had rejected some “very big money offers” from a number of Asian clubs to remain in Perth.

Glory skipper Jacob Burns featured at training this morning but is still at least a week away from returning.

Perth sits in ninth spot on the A-League table but remains just five points shy of sixth place, while the Sky Blues sit outside the top six on goal difference.

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Is extra foreigner favour or farce?

Happy days... Western Sydney foreigners' Lacopo La Rocca and Youssouf Hersi embrace. Source: Theron Kirkman / AAP

Underneath the feel-good fanfare breaking the Wanderers bandwagon, there's a school of criticism from rival fans who are unhappy that Western Sydney are allowed to have one extra foreign player on their books.

While all A-League clubs are granted five foreign spots, the Wanderers have Shinji Ono (Japan), Youssouf Hersi (Holland), Jerome Polenz (Germany), Mateo Poljak (Croatia), Dino Kresinger (Croatia) and Iacopo La Rocca (Italy) on their books.

The extra spot was an imperative safety measure as the fledgling club was hastily assembled by Tony Popovic. The league couldn't afford another expansion side to fail.

But now that they’ve succeeded, plenty of fans have questioned the inequality.

It’s been interesting gauging the response from Fox Sports football fans. In our #ALeaguechat on Twitter on Monday, plenty felt the dispensation doesn’t need to be applied next season.

Tom Moxey: "It's fair to go back to 5. We have established ourselves now".

Who is the top coach in the A-League?

Amanda Traficante: "Obviously their form and support has shown they are capable to join the rest of the league on level playing field."

SSouthy: "The team has made its impact its time to have a playing field evened out."

Patrick Barnes: "Team is well and truly 'competitive' now, don't need the extra help anymore."

Enrico Mezzatesta: "I'm a Wanderers fan and feel that one season was enough to balance things out but 2 seasons is unfair."

Back in October, Arnold was taken aback by the decision - well before anyone could have imagined the Wanderers would be pushing the Mariners all the way in the title race.

"I feel probably like all the other clubs - pretty hard done by," Arnold said at the time.

"If you look at Melbourne Heart, when they came into the league they didn't get any help, they only had five visa spots and all the other clubs have only got five.

"You'd like it to be a fair playing field but it's not right now. I understand the reason is because they are a late inclusion and they only had 186 days or so to prepare, but I was a bit surprised when I heard about it."

Head of A-League Damien de Bohun says concerns before the season made the additional spot an imperative and insists they will remain next term.

"Given that Western Sydney Wanderers were set up in around 140 days, and many contracted players were already contracted to Hyundai A-League clubs, the FFA and the clubs decided to grant Western Sydney up to an additional two foreign players in their first two years in the competition because of concerns at the time about the strength of the playing squad," de Bohun told foxsports.com.au recently.

"In assembling their squad, the Wanderers have availed themselves of one additional foreign player on the roster.

"Given the nature of playing contracts and squad management, this additional foreign player will be in place for Western Sydney Wanderers for one season."

Fair or farce - what do you think?

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Tigers shattered by teammate's death

Captain Robbie Farah says the Wests Tigers' squad is shattered by the death of their teammate Mosese Fotuaika.

The promising Tigers prop was found dead in a Sydney townhouse overnight and has been described as a player who had the potential to make it to the top in rugby league.

Fotuaika, a member of the Tigers' 2012 premiership-winning under-20s team, had been promoted to the senior side for the recent NRL trial matches and looked poised to make his NRL debut.

A NSW police spokesperson said officers from Holroyd area command were called to a townhouse in Merrylands about 6.50pm AEDT last night.

They confirmed a 20-year-old man was found dead inside the premises and said the death was not being treated as suspicious.

The Tigers released a statement this afternoon to express their sadness at the loss of their young teammate.

"Mosese had a great future ahead of him and we will miss him dearly," Farah said, in the statement.

"We are a very close knit club and will stick together and support each other during this tough time."

Tigers CEO Stephen Humphreys said Fotuaika was "a player of great potential and a very popular and respected member of our club."

"We are all deeply shocked and devastated by the news of his death. I have been in regular contact with his family and partner and are providing them with all of the comfort and support we can in this most difficult time.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

"Our players and staff have met together this morning to support each other. With the assistance of the NRL, we have begun to provide professional counselling as they try to come to terms with what has happened.

"We request everyone to respect the sensitive nature of this situation and the privacy of all concerned."

NRL Chief Executive, Dave Smith, said the NRL had been in close contact with the club to assist in terms of counselling and support and the "rugby League family will pull together to help people get through this difficult time."

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Teammates took to Twitter to pay tribute.

Tim Moltzen: "Such a sad end to the day. R.I.P big Moses, such a great kid and gone way to young. Be sorely missed by everyone at the club.#brothers."

Keith Galloway: R.I.P Big Moses! Still in shock u r not here! Hope ur at peace brother! twitter.com/kgalloway85/st

Aaron Woods: RIP Moses absolutely shattered, gone too young

Former Tigers forward Andrew Fifita: "My heart goes out to your family brother. Gone way too soon. Still can't believe it. Rip brother. #Mosese Fotuaika."

Gareth Ellis: So sad to hear of Mosese Fotuaika passing away. Thoughts go out to his family and friendswhat sad news for such a young man.

Curtis Sironen: Wish we could of done something to help. Rip mosese

The Balmain Tigers' Facebook fan page also posted a notice of the loss.

"Thoughts and prayers go out to the wests tigers very own moses Fotuaika and his family during this very difficult time may god help them and watch over them!!" it read.

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Fotuaika attended Keebra Park High School in Queensland, the same school as Tigers playmaker Benji Marshall.

NZRL high performance general manager Tony Kemp said it was a sad day for the sport and offered condolences on behalf of the national organisation to Fotuaika's family.

Kemp was sure Fotuaika had the goods to reach the top.

"He got player of the day last year in the NYC (National Youth Competition) final, so he was on track,'' he said.

"Most of our national team now have been Junior Kiwis and Mosese was a Junior Kiwi last year, so he had plenty of potential.''

Kemp said he had no further details about Fotuaika's death apart from what was in the media, but said mental health was one area that New Zealand sport needed to spend more time on.

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Ibini like new signing for Mariners

Bernie Ibini ... has a new-found confidence. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

The Central Coast Mariners thought they were losing a player, but in fact it's like they got one.

When Bernie Ibini went to FC Brugge on a trial in January, Graham Arnold was resigned to losing him, just like Tom Rogic, in mid- season.

In fact the Mariners coach didn't just welcome his No.9 back, but an Ibini with a new-found confidence in himself.

The 20-year-old may well head permanently to Europe come the end of the season, but for now the Wanderers are the latest to face Ibini's dynamism with the A-League top spot at stake.

"It was a culture shock," admits Ibini of finding his first training session frozen out.

Arnold reckons it was the first time Ibini had seen snow.

"But it was a good culture shock, if that makes sense, because it challenged me and made me experience something new.

"I think I'm a lot better since, even if it was just a few days - going on that trip kind of showed me what I could do, made me believe in myself."

Two goals and an assist in a trial game was the highlight of his time in Belgium, allowing him to believe what others had told him for rather longer.

"He's a top talent, but the one thing that might have given him some doubts was just that, his belief in himself," Arnold said.

"No matter how much we told him, it was like he had to experience it himself.

"I would imagine he was quite shy going over there, but he trained the house down from all reports at a top European club. He came back a different person, but there's more to come.

"Physically he's still developing, still growing but his performances are getting stronger."

The abandonment of the Mariners' diamond formation has helped, with Ibini now playing on the wing.

"I have to be honest, I prefer that - the chance to get the ball at my feet and dribble," Ibini said, which is no surprise for as an 11-year-old he was fast enough to race 200m at state-level athletics.

As a product of western Sydney he's pleased at the success of the Wanderers, though "win or lose on Saturday night, I think there's a few twists and turns left in this season," he said.

"We'll both have four games left, and neither side will dare drop any points."

And after that? Brugge had reached a provisional deal with the Mariners in January, but needed to make space in their squad first.

It seems likely the move will happen in the off-season, but even the newly enthused Ibini won't assume anything.

"There was interest in January, but who knows what will happen at the end of the year," he said. "I'll have to wait and see."

Arnold has turned up the heat on Western Sydney by declaring the Wanderers have had more time to feel the pressure.

After the Mariners 0-0 draw with Suwon Bluewings on Wednesday, Arnold suggested the Asian Champions League game had proven a positive distraction.

"All the media are talking about Western Sydney and a lot have been talking about them being favourites and what a great experience it is going to be for them," he said.

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How Premiers Plate race unfolded

Epic match-up ... the A-League's eyes will be on Bluetongue this weekend. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

Cast your mind back to 6 October 2012. A-League round 1. The debut of Western Sydney Wanderers.

Western Sydney Wanderers 0. Central Coast Mariners 0.

No one would’ve walked out of that game predicting nearly five months later we’d be counting down to the same fixture as one of the most anticipated A-League round matches in recent memory. 

1 v 2. 

Not quite a Premiers’ Plate shoot-out, but a classic six-pointer at the top of the table. 

It’s been quite the ride since we held our breath hoping Tony Popovic’s hastily assembled squad would buck the trend and provide some hope for A-League expansion. 

Two rounds later, the goals hadn’t come yet. Would they? Could they? 

If ever a monkey – make it a gorilla– was lifted off a back, it came in the most unlikely circumstances. A win against the two-time defending champions – away from home. 

They haven’t looked back.

For the Mariners – they picked up their consistent regular season form pretty quickly after round one, and have been setting the pace ever since. 

Missing in the big games? What about the gutsy effort to hold Victory to a 2-2 draw in Melbourne, despite battling with 10 men for 40 minutes? 

Lose Tom Rogic? Arnie doesn’t care; keeping faith in his systems and structures.

Boring and methodical? Try 7-2 against Sydney, 5-0 against Wellington or 6-2 against Melbourne Victory. 

Lacking creativity? How about re-inventing Daniel McBreen, getting the best out of Bernie Ibini or Michael McGlinchey? 

Both sides have been saluted for their organisation and defensive prowess. Popovic has been much-lauded for helping players reach their career best form.

As we count down to the weekend’s A-League epic, we recount some of the seminal moments in the Mariners’ and Wanderers’ rise to the top of the table clash. 

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MARINERS

Round 5: 7-2 win against Sydney FC at Bluetongue Stadium 

A big crowd turned up expecting to Alessandro Del Piero. He was injured, but it was Daniel McBreen who was the star of the show with a hat-trick and two assists. Tom Rogic and Michael McGlinchey added to a result that had people in Italy questioning their hero's move as the Mariners ran riot.

Round 7: 2-2 draw with Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium

Zwaanswijk got his marching orders on the 50-minute mark, and the gutsy Mariners held out with 10-men against a rampant Victory, until Marcos Flores joined Patrik Zwaanswijk on the pine.  

Round 8: 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar at Bluetongue Stadium

In the midst of a nine-game unbeaten run, the Mariners lined up against their old sparring partners and got away with an 81st-minute winner, via Tom Rogic. One thing that can't be questioned about this side is their character. 

Round 23: 6-2 win over Melbourne Victory at Bluetongue Stadium

A game that turned heads in the competition as the Mariners got their top spot back off the Wanderers, and told the next best rival exactly what they thought of them. Fluid, high tempo and classy, the Mariners put on a show and tore the Victory to shreds. 

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WANDERERS

Round 4: 1-0 win over Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium

Who would've thought? We didn't yet know the struggles that the Roar would suffer, but at the time, this was a monumental fillip for the new boys. The much-maligned Mark Bridge, looking to establish himself after dwindling at Sydney FC, scored the winner off a player we were about to hear a lot more about: Youssouf Hersi. Energy, purpose, enthusiasm - Brisbane couldn't keep up! 

Round 11: 2-0 win over Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium

You can be taken a whole lot more seriously when you upstage your big brother. Two clever finishes in either half from Hersi and then Michael Beachamp silenced and embarrassed Sydney FC and made everyone take the Wanderers a whole lot more seriously. 

Round 12: 6-1 win over Adelaide United at Parramatta Stadium

Momentum. It's a crazy thing. After the derby win, the Wanderers enjoyed the golden moment piling six of the best against a hapless Adelaide in front of a rapturous gallery. That man Bridge nabbed a hat-trick, Shinji Ono started to show form that befitted his reputation  - even Dino Kressinger scored!  

Round 21: 2-1 win over Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park

The great wins keep coming for the Wanderers, and amidst a seven-game winning streak, they travelled to Melbourne and claimed Victory's scalp, away from home. Sceptics said that the match would teach us a lot about the Wanderers. Indeed, it did. It catapulted them into bookies' favouritism, before they went on to temporarily snare the premiership lead last Saturday night. 

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Okon tells kids: stay here

Bright prospect ... Melbourne Heart's Jeremy Walker. Source: Hamish Blair / AAP

Young Socceroos coach Paul Okon has urged teenagers struggling to make it abroad to consider returning to the A-League.

And he said three young Melbourne players could be added to his national squad for June's FIFA under-20 World Cup.

Victory pair Connor Pain and Scott Galloway and Heart right back Jeremy Walker are uncapped at Young Socceroos level, but are on Okon's radar.

Okon, who established himself as a star in two years with Marconi in Sydney before moving to Belgian side FC Bruges, cited the recent return of World Cup qualifying top-scorer Corey Gameiro (Wellington Phoenix) and slightly older trio Steve Lustica (Brisbane), Eli Babalj (Heart) and Tom Juric (Adelaide) as positive examples to young players battling abroad.

"I honestly believe what's in place now is equal to anywhere else in the world, so I feel it's better to develop and establish yourself here and then go overseas," Okon said.

"You can't substitute playing. It's year eight of the A-League and it's come a long way.

"I feel our young kids should aim to play in A-League and then move.

"Corey, Lustica and Juric have all come here and the fact that they'll play regularly will increase their chances later on of moving to Europe.

"It's difficult to say no to clubs like Celtic, Red Star and Newcastle, I understand that first-hand, but if you haven't fully established yourself here you'll find it tough because they (overseas clubs) don't have time to develop you.

"Someone like Eli would've been better served playing another year in A-League.

"Then maybe his move would've been permanent."

Walker had another brilliant performance at right back against Sydney FC last Sunday, while Pain made his first start last week against Central Coast after scoring against Western Sydney.

"Walker was looked at earlier on as a number seven (right winger) but Heart has since turned him into a right back," Okon said.

"And Connor Pain's a real winger, very good in a one-versus-one situation, aggressive and quick.

"Galloway's a '95 (born in 1995) -- he's eligible for the next Young Socceroos squad, but the fact that he's playing in the A-League gives him a big opportunity."

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Bozza: Ono key to Wanderers upset

Superstar ... Shinji Ono will be key to breaking the Mariners' defence. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

In a top-of-the-table clash like this - and at the risk of making myself redundant - it's men and moments that make the difference more than tactical masterplans.

Mariners analysis

The small details matter, players finding any extra percentage to win their battles.

Both teams are supremely fit, but Central Coast Mariners do have Wednesday night's Asian Champions League game to contend with, making Graham Arnold's use of his bench important (assuming injuries don't disrupt his best-laid plans).

His most important weapon comes on the flanks in the shape of fullbacks Pedj Bojic and Josh Rose, with their combination of pace and power in defence and attack.

The Wanderers will be tempted to leave Youssouf Hersi and Mark Bridge as high as possible up the field, giving Bojic and Rose the quandary of how often they bomb forward and leave the opposing wingers with space to work in.

If Bridge and Hersi can sow any seeds of doubt, that immediately reduces the impact of one of the Mariners' most important attacking weapons - though both Bridge and Hersi will find it hard to kick the natural habit of tracking back.

Up front for the Mariners, the likes of Mitch Duke, Bernie Ibini and Daniel McBreen have to use clever running to move around the Wanderers' defensive twin rocks Michael Beauchamp and Nikolai Topor-Stanley, otherwise they're a formidable pairing.

WANDERERS ANALYSIS

This week has dragged by and it will be fascinating to see whether Western Sydney Wanderers can handle the expectation that's beginning to build on them.

See the top-of-the-table clash exclusively LIVE on Fox Sports 1HD from 7.30pm (EDT) tonight.

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The Mariners had their ACL game to focus on, but all week the spotlight has been on the Wanderers and the public expectation is mounting.

They are often more effective away from home, though in many ways this will feel like a home fixture such are the numbers of red-and-black clad fans supposedly heading for Bluetongue Stadium.

In such a tight game, one of their key players is Shinji Ono. Consequently part of Tony Popovic's game plan has to be constructed around creating time and space for his marquee man to operate in.

At every opportunity Mark Bridge and Youssouf Hersi have to get on their bikes and target the Mariners' back four, forcing them back.

Similarly, whether it's Dino Kresinger or Joey Gibbs or whoever upfront, they have to target getting in behind the defence with mobility being the key.

The aim is to spread the Mariners and give Ono and the rest of the midfield room to work in.

You'd ordinarily assume Mateo Poljak would come back in, but Iacopo La Rocca has done well and Aaron Mooy scored his first goal last weekend.

The Mariners are the only side the Wanderers haven't beaten yet, or even scored against. That shows you just how tight this fixture will be.

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