Port Melbourne coach Nick Marinos confident his new-look team can surprise in 2024

A clutch of exciting young guns has new Port Melbourne coach Nick Marinos confident his team will surprise fans and rivals alike in 2024.

Chris Duggan celebrates a goal for Port Melbourne.

Port Melbourne coach Nick Marinos loves it when fans and rivals say “who’s that guy?”.

The first-year Sharks manager predicts several of his players to have breakout seasons as the NPL Victoria club hits the reset button in 2024.

Marinos knows plenty about developing players too having led the Sharks’ under-21s to the premiership and championship double last season and has international experience at side Zakynthos.

He has brought in several new young players, headlined by exciting talents Iliya Shalamanov-Trenkov (CSKA Sofia, Bulgaria) and brother Georgy (Slavia Sofia), Charlie Leech (Altona Magic) and Lucas Bryns (Western United).

They will look to fill the holes left by the likes of Luca Tevere (Green Gully), Andy Withers (Bentleigh), Valli Cesnik (Dandenong City) and Jalil Regague (Green Gully).

Marinos said 2024 promised to be an exciting season.

“We carefully picked the players we wanted and, we might have a few more to introduce, so it’s about getting to know each other and getting the know the style of play I want,” Marinos said.

“It’s a young team but my philosophy is ‘what is young?’ if you’re good enough, you’re good enough.

“A few players left and a couple of players I decided didn’t fit the mould or attitude that I wanted.

“The environment is fabulous, the changerooms are exactly how I want, and the boys are excited.

“There’s going to be a lot of players have their breakout year in our team I think and players that nobody has heard of.

“That’s what I love, I love fielding teams with players that nobody has heard of and they’re here to progress their career – I want hungry, young players.”

The Shalamanov-Trenkov brothers loom as players to watch this season.

Iliya, 22, is 195cm and has been a part of the Australia under-23s program while playing in Bulgaria, coming through the ranks at powerhouse CSKA Sofia.

Younger brother Georgy, 19, is a defensive midfielder who made his senior debut for Pirin Blagoevgrad in Bulgaria’s top flight in 2022.

“Iliya’s been brilliant … he’s a phenomenal kid and an absolute professional, he wants to train all the time and straight away got involved and wants to train all the junior keepers.

“He just wants to give back and he’s only 22, he’s brilliant.

“Now he’s brother’s signed too, Georgy flew in last week, he plays the No.6 and made his debut in the first division in Bulgaria at only 17.”

Port Melbourne finished fifth last season but bowed out of the finals race in a 2-0 elimination final loss to Melbourne Knights.

Star striker Chris Duggan finished the campaign with 13 goals, equal third most in the competition, while Withers earned 11 clean sheets as the Sharks conceded the fourth fewest goals overall.

The club kicked off 2024 preparations late last year with promising friendly performances against Melbourne Victory, Western United and Northcote City.

Port returned to the field after the new year break against Preston Lions but suffered a 4-0 defeat on Saturday.

Preparations continue with a clash against NPL rival Oakleigh.

After getting a taste last season, combined with the success of the under-21, finals are high on the to-do list.

“I’ve said to the boys if we can improve 5 per cent every week, that’s the goal, where that takes us nobody knows,” Marinos said.

“We’d love to play finals, we’d love to do more, can we bring some silverware back to the club because it hasn’t been done before.

“We want to bring something back, if it takes one or two years then that’s my objective and also bring through as many players as I can.

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“Against Preston, it was the game off the break, we had a couple of players playing their first in about six months and the keeper probably shouldn’t have played – he went over on his ankle during the week.

“I wasn’t too concerned, we weren’t at our best and they’re a very good team, but there were some positives.

“It all comes down to Round 1, when there’s points involved that’s when you see the real face of teams.”

Port Melbourne kicks off its season on Saturday, February 10, against St Albans at Murphy Reserve.