‘Absolute joy’: How Mariners coach Nick Montgomery turned a struggling club into champions

After 10 years in the football wilderness where experts questioned their place in the league, the Central Coast Mariners stunned Melbourne City to claim the A-League Men’s Championship. Here’s their incredible story.

From a horror stretch of unwanted records and four wooden spoons to 2023 A-League Men champions, the Central Coast Mariners are a story made for fairytales.

The youngest team in the league at an average of 24-years-old, the Mariners pride themselves on their ability to do more with less.

Behind their success has been captain turned coach Nick Montgomery, who took over the Central Coast Mariners Academy four years ago and helped reshape the club to what it is today and said it’s been an ‘absolute joy’.

“With my assistant Sergio, we sort of rebuilt the Academy because it wasn’t producing any players,” Montgomery said.

“And the blueprint of the club had to be ‘if you don’t have the budget or the resources, you have to be producing players’, because they’re the ones who will play because they love the club.

“I think if you mix that in with some good visa players, then you have the recipe for a good team.

“It was the only way to put the squad together and the only way it could work, and I knew that going in.”

Mariners Head Coach Nick Montgomery celebrates winning the 2023 A-League Men's Grand Final (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Montgomery said he knew what a challenge it would be taking over the squad after Alen Stajcic left the club after the 2002-21 season, where the Mariners made their first finals appearance in six years, but he stayed true to his vision of doing the most with what he had.

“A lot of coaches have come through during my time and winged about not having the budget or the resources to compete with the big teams,” he said.

“I never believed that, not for one minute.

“If you think that way, you’re never going to be able to compete.”

Cult hero Jason Cummings and breakout star Nectar Triantis have both confirmed their departures from the club, but Montgomery said it’s an opportunity for the pair.

“We’re losing two big players in Nectar and Jason and I’m sure we’ll lose some more as well,” he conceded.

“But I see it as an opportunity for more young players from around the country to ignite their careers and give them that platform.

“I never worry about players going, that’s football, I think of it as an opportunity for young players who’ve got a point to prove to come to the Mariners and thrive in this environment.”

Looking ahead to the new season and beyond, Montgomery said he hopes people won’t consider them underdogs anymore.

“People underestimated us this season, but if they looked at the statistics they’d be crazy to underestimate us.

“Talk is cheap, you can talk as much as you want but if you don’t deliver you look stupid.”