Former Socceroo Ivan Franjic opens up on return to Knights, playing with brother, hunger to win NPL title and more
Former Australian soccer star Ivan Franjic opens up about the reason he is still kicking on, why he is hungry to win an NPL title, Heidelberg United and more in a Q&A with Max Hatzoglou.
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Ivan Franjic made 20 appearances for Australia and played 242 A-League games in his professional football career.
Now the 35-year-old is continuing his run of more than 100 NPL Victoria games with his first ever club, Melbourne Knights, who he leads in their 70th anniversary season.
The right back won three A-League premierships and three championships in his 12-year professional career.
In 2011 and 2012, he won back-to-back championships with Brisbane Roar which was the first time the feat has been achieved in consecutive seasons in A-League history.
Franjic won the FFA Cup with Melbourne City in 2016 and the AFC Asian Cup with Australia the year before.
He also made the A-League Team of the Decade 2005-15.
He chats with Leader sports reporter Max Hatzoglou about his return to Knights, the first club Franjic joined as a junior in under-10s.
MAX HATZOGLOU: Whereabouts are you now and do you have a job outside of soccer or is soccer full-time for you?
IVAN FRANJIC: Nah, I was working with my dad and now he is going overseas so I got a bit of time off and am enjoying life post-professional football.
MH: Did you say you were working with your dad?
IF: Yeah, I was.
MH: What’s that work if you don’t mind me asking?
IF: He is a builder.
MH: So you are on the tools?
IF: Yeah sometimes, it depends on the day.
MH: How has the transition been from being a professional? The last few years, you have settled into normal life but how has that transition been?
IF: It has actually been very good. Obviously I have had a kid along the way so I am enjoying a lot of time with him and it’s good to be back in Melbourne where you are from originally. And to spend time with family and friends, and get all the birthdays and all the thing you missed out on when you are playing professionally.
MH: And returning to Melbourne Knights, how has it been playing there and going back to where you started?
IF: It is obviously special. I started my junior career with the Knights as my first club so to come back at the end of my career, I don’t know what it is, 27 years later, it is always something special and something you cherish being able to finish where you started.
MH: What have you enjoyed about coming back?
IF: I do see familiar faces and as a kid, I used to go and watch Melbourne Knights with my dad every home game in the National Soccer League (NSL). So it is exciting coming back and seeing familiar faces and playing where you grew up.
MH: And joining your brother Joseph as well, that must be a great thing?
IF: Yeah, it is always special. He is the reason I am still kicking on because we always wanted to play together. It is very special to have your brother playing next to you and in the same team. It is always something we wanted to do in our careers and now we are doing it together.
MH: You played together at Heidelberg last year, they are obviously struggling at the moment, they lost 5-0 to Oakleigh on the weekend, are you a bit surprised with how they have gone this year so far?
IF: I think over the years if you look at Heidelberg, they have always been slow starters but they come home strong. It was pretty similar last year. They have got a lot of very good talented players there so I’m sure when the season gets going, they will get stronger and stronger.
MH: Did you enjoy your time there and are they still a club you support?
IF: Oh definitely, I have made a lot of lifelong friends there, the committee, players, they were all very good there and we still keep in touch today.
MH: And do you think they can comeback this season, obviously you were there last year so you know a bit about them, it’s interesting times there at the moment but do you think they can bounce back?
IF: Oh definitely, I think this time last year, we were in a very similar position, we came back and made finals, and obviously lost to Oakleigh on penalties. So I think Heidelberg, like I said previously, as the season progresses, they will get stronger and stronger and they have got a fair few injuries so once they start getting players back, I’m sure you will see them climb up the table.
MH: And what about Knights now, how are you guys going, obviously you picked up your first win on the weekend, how is it going there?
IF: Yeah, it is going well. Obviously it is a process when you change so many players but I think each week, we are getting stronger and stronger. And you look at our first four rounds, we have played the premiers and the champions and we have picked up five points. Obviously we would have wanted more but it’s a process and it’s a long season so as the season progresses, I’m sure, as a team, we are going to get better and better and stronger and stronger.
MH: And how has Ben Cahn been as coach coming from interstate?
IF: Yeah, Ben has been very good, he is very organised, professional, he knows the style of football he wants us to play. Hopefully in the future we see him coaching in the A-League and National Second division.
MH: Is there something that you guys think you can improve on from the start of the season? You guys have been good in some areas but probably scoring has been the one area that has been slightly low. Is there an area you think that can be improved in the Knights team?
IF: I think when you put so many players together, it always takes time. Yeah, obviously you want to score more goals but I think that will come as the season progresses. It is not easy when you put a whole new team together and expect them to gel together straight away. Like if you look worldwide, with the coaches that have been backed, their first season hasn’t always been strong or they come home late. At the moment, we just believe in one another, we are not really stressing because we know the goals and more positives results will come as we get to know each other more.
MH: Playing alongside your brother in defence, how’s that been, what’s it like?
IF: Yeah, obviously we have grown up together playing in the backyard so we got an understanding of each other which makes it easier. It’s been really enjoyable and we look forward to playing every weekend with our family watching.
MH: Yeah, that’s great, how’s the family finding it?
IF: Family is good, they are coming to every game, they sit together so they’re enjoying it.
MH: And who else have you enjoyed playing with in the team?
IF: Obviously we got Steve Whyte who came from Queensland, he is a very good player, he has obviously been with Ben for nine years so he understands his style and is really helping the midfield tick over. We got Ciaran Bramwell who is a young boy from Perth. He is our striker, obviously he hasn’t scored yet but it was the same thing in pre season where he didn’t score and then he scored nine goals in three games. I know when he gets a goal, he will be firing them in straight after.
MH: Well, he won that penalty against South Melbourne and then, even on the weekend, I think he won another penalty didn’t he?
IF: Yeah he did, so when the striker is not scoring but winning penalties, you’re definitely happy. And he works hard for the team. It definitely doesn’t go unnoticed.
MH: Do you believe you guys can really challenge this year because I saw you play against South Melbourne and you guys really put it up to them and gave them quite a good challenge in that game and probably could have came away with a few points? What’s the future going to look like this season?
IF: We definitely think we are going to be up there. We know we believe in ourselves. I think the only thing that will let us down is if we don’t work hard enough but Ben won’t let that happen. If you look at the team, it is a mixture of young and old. We are a good bunch of boys, we are very close together and that's very important for us as we look to go as far as we can. If you asked us if we could win a championship, I would say ‘yes’.
MH: Are you more hungry to win a championship now than you were in your professional career?
IF: Definitely, I think the NPL title is the only one I am missing in my wardrobe in Australian football so it will be nice to get.
MH: That’s interesting, so the hunger is still there for you?
IF: Oh yeah definitely. The day I lose passion is the day I stop playing. It would be amazing to win it at the club I started playing at and supported as a kid.
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