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Despair tends to be the default emotion for anyone who becomes emotionally invested in Australian football \u2013 particularly at domestic level. But there is more reason than usual to feel glum at the moment.<\/p>\n
Pretty much everything good about the A-Leagues last season is gone. Or going.<\/p>\n
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Nick Montgomery and Jason Cummings have left the A-League.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n Nick Montgomery, the mastermind behind the Central Coast Mariners fairytale? Gone. He\u2019s the new manager at Hibernian, arguably the biggest club in Scotland outside the big two in Glasgow.<\/p>\n This one hurts. Montgomery is the ultimate exemplar of what foreign players can contribute to the Aussie game. He was 30 when he left Sheffield United for the Mariners. He went on to captain the club, got his citizenship, transitioned into coaching, got his hands dirty in the academy \u2013 then, when he got the opportunity to become their head coach, he used everything he\u2019d learnt here and in England to improve the club, its community and, by extension, the competition. And he did it with the league\u2019s smallest budget.<\/p>\n Some of his best players are gone, too.<\/p>\n Jason Cummings, the larger-than-life larrikin striker who turned his career around under Montgomery in Gosford? Gone. He\u2019s cashing in at Indian club Mohun Bagan.<\/p>\n Sam Silvera and Nectar Triantis, the Mariners\u2019 two most impressive young Aussies? Gone to Middlesbrough and Sunderland in England\u2019s second tier.<\/p>\n Craig Goodwin, the reigning Johnny Warren medallist and Adelaide United\u2019s hometown hero who starred for the Socceroos at the World Cup? Gone. He\u2019s taken up a \u201clife-changing\u201d offer to play in Saudi Arabia, along with seemingly half of Europe.<\/p>\n Marco Tilio and Jordan Bos, the two rising Melbourne City stars? Gone. Sold to Celtic and Belgian club KVC Westerlo.<\/p>\n Garang Kuol, the headline-stealing teenage winger from the Mariners? Gone. He\u2019s playing for Dutch club Volendam, on loan from Newcastle United.<\/p>\n Craig Goodwin is off to Saudi Arabia again.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n Calem Nieuwenhof, the silky smooth Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder, and Kusini Yengi, their derby-winning striker? Gone to Heart of Midlothian and Portsmouth.<\/p>\n Adrian Segecic, the Sydney FC academy product who fans have been looking forward to seeing break into their first team? Gone on loan to Dutch outfit FC Dordrect, with an option to buy at the end of the season. He probably won\u2019t be back.<\/p>\n Nestory Irankunda, that kid from Adelaide who Alan Partridge might describe as having a foot like a traction engine? He\u2019s still here, but not for long \u2013 he turns 18 on February 9, and will probably move to Bayern Munich once the transfer window re-opens.<\/p>\n The women\u2019s game is not immune, either. And sure, some veteran Matildas stars are coming home to see out their playing days, which is great. But what about the ones on the rise, like Clare Hunt, the new cornerstone of Australia\u2019s defence? She\u2019s reportedly off to Paris Saint-Germain on a three-year deal.<\/p>\n Clare Hunt appears to be bound for PSG.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n What are we to make of all this? Well, like most things in life, it depends on how you look at it.<\/p>\n Yes, these players will be sorely missed. Characters like Cummings, for instance, don\u2019t grow on trees. Nor do players like Goodwin. The APL\u2019s marketing department will be flat out finding new ways to promote the men\u2019s competition in their absence.<\/p>\n On the other hand, this turnover of talent is perhaps the biggest endorsement imaginable for Australian football.<\/p>\n And it shouldn\u2019t be a surprise. The Socceroos and Matildas are both coming off their best World Cup performances. Ange Postecoglou is busy shifting perceptions in the UK, and creating a pathway for other coaches like Montgomery to follow. Naturally, overseas clubs have begun to cast a curious eye in this direction to see what\u2019s really going on over here \u2013 and while the A-Leagues are still obviously struggling to attract an audience at home, those abroad clearly like what they see.<\/p>\n And it seems, finally, A-Leagues clubs are accepting of their position in football\u2019s food chain. Their shrinking budgets have given them no real alternative but to play the kids. But doing that will help them keep the lights on: clubs have reaped more than $7 million in transfer fees this pre-season.<\/p>\n That\u2019s loose change in global terms, but for the A-Leagues, it\u2019s much-needed financial sustenance.<\/p>\n Every sale means an opportunity for another young player to step up, and a chance for the cycle to start anew. And every graduate who plays at a good level abroad helps build Australia\u2019s reputation as a rich and reliable source of talent, which helps build the A-Leagues\u2019 relevance in a global context.<\/p>\n In a way, every competition in the world is a feeder competition \u2013 except for the Premier League and, maybe now, the Saudi Pro League.<\/p>\n There is no shame in it. And there\u2019s no point fighting it.<\/p>\n Montgomery certainly didn\u2019t. He might be gone, but he leaves behind a blueprint for rival clubs to copy, and an ethos that can help the A-League not just survive, but thrive.<\/p>\n Sports news, results and expert commentary. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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