INSIDE THIS WEEK... www.goalweekly.com $3 FOXTEL CUP - ROUND 17 Profi le on Thomas Ahmadzai Focus on Matilda Amy Jackson Season 3: Issue 10 Monday 25th June 2007 THIS WEEK’S FEAST OF FOOTBALL Supporting all colours and reporting in black and white SOUTH ESSENDON MELBOURNE ROYALS V V BERGERS DERBY RICHMOND HEIDELBERG EAGLES UTD Bob Jane Stadium Veneto Social Club Ricky Diaco Friday 29th June Friday 29th June Len Catalano DELIGHT! (South Melbourne) KO 8:15PM KO 8:15PM (Essendon Royals) OAKLEIGH A.I.S CANNONS V V SPRINGVALE WESTERN WHITE SUBURBS EAGLES Jack Edwards Reserve White Eagles Stadium Pablo Cardozo Friday 29th June Saturday 30th June Milos Lujic (Oakleigh Cannons) KO 8:15PM KO 7:00PM (A.I.S) MELBOURNE FAWKNER KNIGHTS BLUES V V KINGSTON PRESTON CITY LIONS Knights Stadium CB Smith Reserve Anthony Pelikan Sunday 1st July Sunday 1st July Steven Tilovski (Melbourne Knights) Photo: John Punshon KO 3:00PM KO 3:00PM (Fawkner Blues) GREEN GULLY ALTONA PLUS► KATSA’S KORNER, BOO’S WORLD, SUCCEROO, CAVALIERS MAGIC EDDIE KRNCEVIC & MUCH, MUCH MORE! V V SUNSHINE WHITTLESEA GEORGIES ZEBRAS Green Gully Reserve Paisley Park Dean Fak Sunday 1st July Monday 2nd July Levent Osman (Green Gully) KO 6:00PM KO 8:15PM (Altona Magic) Goal! Weekly PLAYERQ&A PROFILE Goal! Weekly FOOTBALL FOCUS 27 Thomas Ahmadzai SOMETHING ABOUT THOMAS AMY JACKSON Will Ahmadzai tread in Grella’s footsteps? YOUNG MATILDAS & ASHBURTON WFC e’s been likened to be playing in the Premier League. FULL NAME: Amy Elise Jackson BIRTHPLACE: Altona Socceroo Vince Grella and That’s a big call but Jason’s BIRTH DATE: 08.09.1987 already has taken the jump been around and knows what he’s talk- HEIGHT: 168cm from Provisional League ing about and really, the results speak WEIGHT: 60kg Hto State League One in his stride. for themselves,” Macleod added. MARRIED: No CAR: Red Ferrari, Black Porsche and Hyundai At 19 years (and a handful Watching Ahmadzai play, you’d never Excel (Excel is more fuel effi cient!) of days) old, Langwarrin midfi eld- guess that he’s a shy, introverted young OCCUPATION OUTSIDE OF FOOTBALL: er Thomas Ahmadzai is one of the man. He’s a bundle of energy dur- Student brightest prospects on the local scene ing matches, a box-to-box midfi elder NICKNAME: AJ PREVIOUS CLUBS: Brimbank and his coach Gus Macleod thinks who always fi nds that something extra REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS: Australian that the teenager will only get better. when the going gets tough, especial- Young Matildas (World Champs, Russia ‘06), “We fi rst had a good look at ly during the last third of the contest. 2000-2005 Victorian State teams (Youth and Vic Vision), 2001-current NTC, 2007 Florida Inter- young Thomas in a practice match With more composure and ex- national University student! late last year against Green Gully up perience he’ll start to exert an even CHILDHOOD FOOTBALL HERO: at the Gully,” said Macleod. “You saw greater infl uence on the outcome and David Clarkson straight away that the boy had no trou- many good judges at Langwarrin expect FAVOURITE O/S PLAYER: Abilty - Zinedine Zidane, Looks - David Beck- ble mixing it with Muscat, Vassallo, him to fi gure prominently in the club’s ham Vargas and the likes and the fact that push for promotion to Premier League. FAVOURITE WPL & V-LEAGUE PLAYER: he didn’t look out of place there was He wasn’t that keen on do- Annabelle Gibney, Fernando De Moraes enough to convince me to sign him. ing this interview but when we fi nally FAVOURITE FORMER SOCCEROO: Paul Trimboli “I think this lad has a big, big tracked him down to his day job as a FAVOURITE CURRENT SOCCEROO: future and I can only see him getting shop assistant with a World of Soccer Harry Kewell better. It’s a massive jump coming from franchise in his home town of Warra- FAVOURITE FORMER MATILDA: Tal Karp the Provisional League to our league but gul, he fi nally consented to talk to us. FAVOURITE CURRENT MATILDA: Collette McCallum he’s come into our side and commanded And once you start learning about MOST MEMORABLE MATCH AS A PLAYER: a starting spot virtually straight away.” Ahmadzai’s résumé you are struck Young Matildas Vs NZ (Scored two goals) And Macleod has a great track by the fact that this young man has MOST MEMORABLE MATCH AS A FAN: record of being an astute judge of a been on the radar for some time. 2006 World Cup - Socceroos Vs Japan MOST MEMORABLE GOAL YOU’VE SCORED: youngster’s potential. Some years back A place in an Australian school- First International VS NZ..left foot outside the he had no qualms about giving a raw boys tour of Britain attests to that fact. box. kid called Grella his fi rst senior game. “Yeah, I tried out for the Victorian FUNNIEST MOMENT IN FOOTBALL: When the silent sniper attacked Rita Mancowska in It was when Springvale City played in schoolboys back in 2005 and I got into Mt. Gambier earlier this year! When defi nite the upper echelons of Victorian foot- the team. We played in the national cham- cards should be given and they’re not…. ball and Grella was just 15 at the time, pionships in Cairns that year. Then they BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Lack of support a record for a Premier League debutant. picked an Australian schoolboys side for women’s football.. WORST INJURY: Quad strain Macleod, in his ninth straight from the championships and I got into Langwarrin midfi elder Thomas Ahmadzai in action during the MOST DIFFICULT OPPONENT: Myself season as Langwarrin senior coach the squad. I was rapt,” said Ahmadzai. State League Division One derby against Frankston Pines. FAVOURITE AWAY GROUND: and cheekily referred to by some as “We were in the UK for about a month. South Melbourne the Kevin Sheedy of the sport (even We played over a dozen games. Some ball. When he was about seven years old ally consider it, but I can tell you that SUPERSTITIONS: I always put on my left boot fi rst though Macleod is a Blues fan, some- of them were like internationals against his dad introduced him to junior foot- if Langwarrin gets promoted I’m sure TYPICAL MATCH DAY MEAL: Cereal with yo- thing he rarely admits nowadays), fi rst the English and Irish schoolboys and ball with Warragul United and he stayed that I’ll stay. It’s a really good club. ghurt and a glass of sustagen was alerted to Ahmadzai’s potential we also played against Rangers’ youth there until he was 14 when his quest We’ve got a good coach who is really WHAT ARE YOUR STRENGTHS: Left foot, by former Frankston Pines, Morwell team and Everton’s youth team.” to improve himself took him to Knox good with the boys and knows how to crossing WHAT ARE YOUR WEAKNESSES: Kryptonite! Falcons and Langwarrin goalkeeper Ahmadzai’s dad is an Afghan, City’s under-15 Super League side. He get the best out of them and there’s no FAVOURITE TEAM WHEN GROWING UP: Jason Dastey, player-coach of Provi- so the teenager belongs to a very select played there for a season then spent political stuff down there. We’ve got a South Melbourne sional League outfi t Warragul United. group of players of Afghan background part of the 2004 season with Bentle- few problems on the park in terms of FAVOURITE OTHER SPORTS: “Jason told me that Thomas should igh Greens’ Premier League reserves creating chances but if we can sort them Netball, athletics playing at this level of Victorian foot- FAVOURITE OTHER SPORTSPERSON: in the under-21 competition. His desire out then we’ll do okay. We’re midtable Michael Jordan, Lauren Jackson for senior football took him to Mor- right now and to be honest, getting pro- FAVOURITE FOODS: Chicken stir fry, ice well, then in South-East Division Two, moted is going to be hard work, but the cream FAVOURITE ACTOR/ACTRESS: Adam Sandler, for the back half of the 2004 season. possibility is there and we’ve got a re- Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt At the tender age of 16 he ce- ally good bunch of boys at the club.” HOBBIES: Sports, going out with friends, mented his place in the senior side the Ahmadzai might have a little movies following year which climaxed with bit of help in his aim of playing Pre- FAVOURITE HOLIDAY RESORT: 5 star hotel in Russia, resort in Malaysia, AIS dorm room! his Australian schoolboys experience. mier League football with Langwarrin FAVOURITE NIGHTSPOT: The Deck But season 2006 was one heck of a reality next season. Last week the Lawton Park IDEAL DATE: Dinner..beach..movies..choco- check for the youngster who had serious- outfi t re-signed last year’s Division One lates..fl owers..or something lame that makes ly damaged ankle ligaments during his top scorer Caleb Nicholes, fi ghting off me laugh! FAVOURITE TV SHOWS: Amazing Race, late 2005 UK sojourn. He missed the fi rst overtures from local rivals Cranbourne Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Gilmore Girls half of the season as he recuperated and and Dandenong Thunder. FAVOURITE MUSIC: World’s Greatest - R Kelly, rejoined Warragul United for the second Nicholes had been released from Relient K, Pink half of 2006 but the step down in stan- Premier League cellar dweller Springvale FAVOURITE FILM: Remember the Titans, Shawshank Redemption, 10 Things I hate dard did little to diminish his ambition.