Former Roar attacker keen to impress with Perth Glory

Former Brisbane Roar forward Nick D’Agostino is confident his move to Perth Glory will kickstart his A-League career. He speaks to Marco Monteverde about his fresh start.

NICK D’Agostino says his move to Perth Glory will revive his A-League career after a frustrating spell with Brisbane Roar.

The 21-year-old marksman has returned home to Queensland with the Glory for the Surf City Cup, which starts tomorrow when the Roar meet Perth at Carrara’s Croatian Sports Centre.

D’Agostino was contracted to Brisbane until next year but jumped at the chance to leave when Glory coach Tony Popovic came knocking.

Nick D'Agostino is keen to make a splash at Perth Glory after a frustrating spell with Brisbane Roar (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

“I wasn’t performing up to my potential at the Roar,” D’Agostino said.

In 42 appearances in all competitions for the Roar across four seasons, D’Agostino scored only three goals.

“It was a little bit sad to leave but it’s a blessing in disguise. I’m happy that it’s happened,” he said.

“I just needed a fresh start and Perth is the place to do it.”

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D’Agostino, who was released from the final season of his Brisbane deal, said he was the fittest he had been after a tough pre-season under Popovic.

“The training is a lot harder than what I did at the Roar,” he said.

“I hadn’t worked with ‘Popa’ previously but I’d heard he got the best out of his players.

“I wanted to go to Perth and have the opportunity to work with him to see if he could get the best out of me.

“I feel he has done so far. I’m feeling great, the body’s fine, training’s nice and tough ... it’s a new challenge for me.

“I love fighting for my spot. There are a lot of opportunities for players under Popa, so I’ve just got to keep working hard and try to earn my spot.”

The Glory will also play Newcastle Jets in the Surf City Cup on Tuesday, but D’Agostino leaves Perth’s Coast camp on Sunday to link with the Australian under-23 team ahead of next month’s friendly matches against New Zealand in Wollongong and Campbelltown.

D’Agostino has next year’s Olympic Games in his sights after impressing Olyroos and Socceroos coach Graham Arnold.

He is poised to play a crucial role for Australia at the AFC under-23 championships in Thailand, where the Olyroos must finish in the top three to qualify for Tokyo 2020.

“It’s gives me a great deal of confidence knowing that Graham Arnold has a lot of belief in me. But having confidence is one thing, now it’s up to me to show it on the field,” D’Agostino said.

“It’s always good being in the Australian camps. We want to do the job and get to the Olympic Games because that’s definitely where we want to be.”

Originally published as Former Roar attacker keen to impress with Perth Glory