Central Coast Mariners’ Dutch signings keen to start A-League season
NEW recruits Tom Hiariej and Wout Brama are loving life on the Central Coast ahead of the Mariners’ F3 Derby season opener on October 7.
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NEW recruits Tom Hiariej and Wout Brama are loving life on the Central Coast ahead of the Mariners’ F3 Derby season opener on October 7.
The Dutch duo relocated to Australia with their partners over the off-season, both inking two-year deals with the yellow and navy.
Hiariej and Brama have spent the majority of their careers in the Netherland’s top division, the Eredivisie, and admit they couldn’t be happier with their new venture abroad.
“Terrigal is a perfect place to be for us. We live 100 metres from the beach and I couldn’t wish for better,” Hiariej said.
“It is just a big adventure. It’s a new country to explore new things and that’s the main reason why we came here.”
“It’s a new environment. It’s good for me and I think it fits us both. It’s a good thing,” Brama added.
The 31-year-old former FC Twente man said he’s adjusting well to life on the Coast, with the help of his fellow countryman.
“It was a big advantage as he (Tom) was already here for five weeks. He already knew everything and could show me the way, and it made it easier to adjust to a new country.”
“Before I came over here, I spoke to him and he was very positive. I also spoke with (former Mariner) Trent Sainsbury about it. It’s a good thing to talk to players that already know how the club and the place is.”
The new Dutch midfielders share over 500 competitive appearances in the Netherlands between them, both have represented their nation at youth level, and they are hoping to add some much-needed experience to the midfield stocks at the Mariners this campaign.
“We’ve played a lot of matches. We know a lot of situations so when it’s difficult for the team, we don’t need to panic, we can help the team to stay calm and bring the experience,” Hiariej said.
Central Coast boss Paul Okon was full of praise for the fresh signings after their performance in the team’s 2-0 pre-season win over Melbourne Victory last week.
“It’s great that the A-League is going to have a player like him (Wout) in the competition,” he said.
“We’re also really happy with Tom. They have linked up really well and they give us a bit of steel in the middle of the park.”
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