A-League: A clash 30 years in the making

Two former Socceroos will be looking for their day in the coaching sun when Perth play Sydney FC.

Tony Popovic will take on old friend Steve Corica in the A-League grand final

It’s June, 1989 — a typically bleak day in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Out in the middle of the field, the Australian under-17s squad, the Joeys, are going through their paces in preparation for the World Youth Cup finals.

As the only Australian journalist there, I am rugged up on the sidelines standing next to the team’s bus driver. “Oi, he’s a big laddie,” Jimmy says, pointing to the long-haired and imposing figure of Tony Popovic who has just cleaned up a teammate with a crunching, but fair, tackle.

Minutes later, the bus driver is again shaking his head. This time he is in awe of the skills of a little winger who has deftly changed direction, slipped past two defenders, cut inside and fired off a shot all in the blink of an eye. The kid’s name is Steve Corica.

Corica and Popovic would go on to forge a great friendship while following almost similar footballing career paths as teammates at club and international level, and as rivals, both as players and coaches.

They started their professional club careers almost at the same time (1990); Popovic with Sydney United and Corica with Marconi Stallions in the National Soccer League. Both plied their trade in England and teamed up with Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the Japanese J-League under the late Eddie Thomson before finishing their playing careers as teammates in the A-League with Sydney FC.

At international level they were constantly side-by-side in the Australian under-17s, under-19s, under-23s and the Socceroos.

Almost 30 years on from that day in Aberdeen, the two former Socceroos will be looking for their day in the coaching sun when Popovic’s Perth Glory play Corica’s Sydney FC in the A-League grand final at Optus Stadium on Sunday.

It will be Popovic’s fourth A-League grand final having taken Western Sydney Wanderers to three defeats while for Corica, who is in his rookie season in charge of a senior club, it will be his first.

Popovic was lavish in his praise of Corica, who took the reins at the Sky Blues this season after Graham Arnold moved on to take the job with the Socceroos.

“Steve has done an exceptional job and I am not surprised he has done so well,” Popovic said.

“Knowing him for as long as I have, to see how dedicated he has been to his profession as an assistant and then working his way up, it’s a real credit to him. He has inherited a very good team but you still have to put your own style on it. Obviously his man management skills are fantastic.”

The two were seen in deep discussion at the A-League awards on Monday night with Popovic, a worthy winner of the coach of the year award, revealing they had a good laugh “talking about a million things except football”.

“Come Sunday … the competitiveness will come out,” he added.

For Popovic, Sunday’s a chance to exorcise the demons. While he has now won two Premiers Plates — with the Wanderers and Perth — and an Asian Champions Leagues with the Wanderers, the Holy Grail has eluded him.

In his first season as a senior coach he took Western Sydney to the 2013 season decider, only to lose 2-0 to the Central Coast Mariners. The following season he was four minutes from the title when Brisbane Roar equalised before the Queenslanders went on to win 2-1 in extra time.

Two seasons later the Wanderers fell 3-1 to Adelaide United in what turned out to be Popovic’s last game in charge before moving on to take a job in Turkey.

Popovic deflected when asked what it would mean to win the title.

“To be honest, I haven’t thought about what it would mean to me, but I have thought about what it would mean to the cub, the fans and my family,” he said.

“I just want to enjoy the day. I am privileged and honoured to be in my fourth grand final and I don’t take that lightly. I’m excited by the challenge.”