Socceroos debut: Joel King joins Illawarra footballing royalty
Joel King joined an illustrious list of people from the Illawarra to represent the Australian men’s football team. Check out the best Socceroos from the Illawarra and vote for who you think is No.1.
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Shellharbour product Joel King continued his meteoric rise by making his international debut for the Socceroos against Vietnam on Thursday night.
The 20-year-old has become one of the A-League Men‘s best fullbacks with his form for Sydney FC earning selection in Graham Arnold’s side.
The 615th Socceroo looked assured defensively against the Golden Star Warriors, but still offered an outlet going forward - something he’s become known for the Sky Blues.
Congratulations to @joelking_5 on his international debut and becoming Socceroo cap #615 👠#AllForTheSocceroos#AUSvVIEpic.twitter.com/OBVmzbDJ5z
— Socceroos (@Socceroos) January 27, 2022
The international cap sees King join an illustrious list of Illawarra products to play for the national side.
Given the inconsistencies of recordkeeping in the early years of the Australian men’s national team it’s almost impossible to know exactly how many Illawarra-born Socceroos there are but renowned football statistician Andrew Howe has a ballpark figure of 23.
Here are the top 10.
Cap 10 Tom Thompson
8 caps 1922-1924
Tom “Titchy” Thompson was a part of the historic Australian XI which toured New Zealand in 1922.
Thompson played at Carisbrook in Australia’s first ever match, a 3-1 defeat to New Zealand, as well as three matches against Canada in 1924.
Thompson was a Balgownie legend along with Dave Ward who was No. 11.
Cap 24 Judy Masters
13 caps 1923-25
James “Judy” Masters was Australia’s second ever captain and first to be born in the Illawarra, leading the side against Canada in Brisbane in 1924.
Masters was a prolific goal-getter with 12 goals in 13 full internationals, a record also reflected at club level where he scored 351 goals in 401 matches - a majority with Balgownie. Incredibly in this time, he was never cautioned.
The Little Master was also a stretcher bearer and bandsman in the Great War and a miner at the Corrimal coal mine.
Balgownie Rangers, the country’s oldest still active football club, now plays out of Judy Masters Oval.
Cap 98 Charlie Stewart
5 caps 1947-1955
Charlie Stewart was a Woonona-Bulli legend, playing 393 games and scoring 234 goals over a 15-year career in the NSW State League.
Stewart was the difference between Australia and New Zealand during the All White’s 1954 three-match tour.
Down a match in the series, Stewart scored twice and was man of the match in the second game which Australia won 4-1. Australia won game three 4-1 as well with Stewart once again netting.
Cap 117 Bob Young
8 caps 1954-1959
The father and grandfather of St George Illawarra royalty Craig and Dean, Bob Young is an icon in his own right. The sporting family linage also Young’s other son, Warwick, who was a title-winning goalkeeper with the Wollongong Wolves.
Young was a key figure in the Corrimal Rangers side, which was one of the best sides in the state during the late 1940s and early 1950s.
The Tarrawanna junior picked up the first of eight caps in a 5-0 victory in Zimbabwe in June 1950.
Young was also one of Australian football’s earlier pioneers of understanding the benefits of fitness in the game.
Cap 127 Bob Bignall
8 caps 1949-1957
Bob “Choc” Bignall was another icon of the Woonona-Bulli club and he was the second Illawarrian to skipper the national team when he led out Australia against South Africa in 1955.
Bignall would play more than 400 games across a 24-year career for Woonona-Bulli, Corrimal and South Coast United.
The tenacious defender played in eight full internationals, with his most notable outing coming as the captain of the 1956 Olympic team which beat Japan in Melbourne before losing to India in the quarterfinals.
The Illawarra sporting icon died aged 91 in 2013.
Cap 224 Max Tolson
16 caps 1971-74
Max Tolson was a member of Australia’s first ever World Cup squad in 1974 alongside Adrian Alston, Johnny Warren and Peter Wilson who also have strong ties to the Illawarra.
The forward played a key role in getting his country to the World Cup, however, a broken toe from a pre-tournament kickabout meant he never stepped on to a pitch in Germany.
Tolson is one of many star names from South Coast United where in his first senior season, in 1963, he played in the NSW State League Grand Final in front of 30,000 spectators at the Sydney Sports Ground. The now-defunct United beat APIA Leichhardt 4-0.
Cap 439 Scott Chipperfield
68 caps 1998–2010
The Wollongong Wolves cult hero won the Marston Medal in the aforementioned 2000 NSL Grand Final and won the Johnny Warren Medal (for the league’s best player) in 2000 and 2001.
Chipperfield’s success with his local Wolves was followed by a glittering decade with Swiss giants FC Basel where he won seven league titles and six Swiss Cups.
Chipperfield, who is known for his cultured left foot, is the second-most capped Socceroo on the list with his 12 years in the green and gold including two World Cups finals appearances.
“Chippers” finished his playing career with District League side by winning the league and grand final double with Bellambi in 2019 and now he is the head coach of Premier League club Tarrawanna.
The player of the match in the Illawarra Premier League grand final is awarded the Scott Chipperfield Medal.
Cap 446 Matt Horsley
1 cap 2000
One of the great travesties is Matt Horsley only having a single cap for the Socceroos.
Horsley came on as a substitute against Bulgaria in February 15, 2000, four months before he scored for the Wollongong Wolves in the greatest National Soccer League Grand Final of all time. The Wolves beating Perth Glory on penalties after coming from three goals down at half time.
Horsley backed it up a year later in the 2001 decider against South Melbourne with the bald-headed machine winning the Joe Marston Medal for best on ground in the 2-1 triumph.
Since 2009, the player of the match in the Illawarra District League has been awarded the Matt Horsley Medal.
Cap 453 Mile Sterjovski
43 caps 2000-2010
Despite being a technically gifted talent, Mile Sterjovski is one of the lesser heralded members of the Socceroos golden generation.
Sterjovski debuted in an away win against Scotland in 2000 and was a prominent member of the 2006 World Cup squad, playing against Brazil, Croatia and Italy.
The Lake Heights junior played with the Wollongong Wolves and Wollongong United before a nomadic career which saw him play in France, Switzerland, England, Turkey and China.
Sterjovski is now the assistant coach with A-League Men’s side Macarthur Bulls.
Cap 481 Luke Wilkshire
80 caps 2004-2014
Luke Wilkshire is the Illawarra most capped Socceroo with 80 caps across a distinguished decade-long international career.
The Albion Park junior featured in two World Cup finals and played in the famous 2006 matches against Japan and Italy.
Although usually deployed as a right back, Wilkshire scored some vital goals for the Socceroos, including a penalty against Japan in a 2014 World Cup qualifier to level the match.
Wilkshire had a decorated career in Europe and especially Russia where he played 170 games for Dynamo Moscow who he helped to the league title in 2017.
Wilkshire’s playing days concluded with the Wollongong Wolves in 2018 after a successful 2017-18 season with Sydney FC. He then became the head coach of the Wolves, leading them to the NSW Premier League championship after a decade in the doldrums. He is also a regular commentator with Network 10.