As a Mariners fan, I’ve always loved Danny Vukovic.

Called early into the Mariners first team after a career ending injury to John Crawley, he was a major part of the Coast’s early success and went on to have a good career in Europe.

Surviving both professional and personal hardship, Vuka’s career can be seen as an example of what courage, ability and sheer determination can do to make a mark in the impossibly difficult world of professional football, but all good things must pass.

I’ve not been convinced by Danny’s performances for the Mariners this year. He’s looked just a little off the pace but last Sunday’s match against Macarthur was the final straw – I think he’s lost his reflexes.

A goalkeeper’s game – especially at the top level – is all about fast twitch response to stimulus. When the ball is bouncing about on the edge of the box, a keeper is bouncing on his/her toes, ready to launch in any direction in any split second to protect the goal.

The higher level the football, the faster that twitch reaction needs to be.

Let’s break down the three goals conceded by the Mariners last Sunday…

First goal: a terrible decision by Nectarios Triantis to pass the ball back to Vuka – who clearly wasn’t expecting it – but he’s got to do better than that. His mis-control of the ball presented Al Hassan Toure with a tap in.

You’d think after such a terrible error he’d be absolutely determined to redeem himself, but early in the second half, the Mariners conceded a corner and were more or less statues as the ball was swung across. That’s bad enough for the defenders but the goalkeeper has to come for that. Jonathan Aspropotamitis won the header on the six yard box with Vuka rooted to his goal line. Decent reflexes would have seen him punch that away easily.

The third goal was even worse.

Yes, it was the result of a poor pass by a defender and too many Mariners were in the enemy half chasing the win, but Drew came from a wide angle that has to give the keeper some advantage.

Drew hit the ball very well but Vuka should’ve been closing him down to narrow the angle, cover his near post and give himself a better launch pad to make the save. Instead, he hesitated and held his ground, giving Drew the chance to pick his spot and meaning Vuka had to react after the ball was hit from close range. At 37… the reflexes just can’t cope with that.

It’s well known that keepers can play at the top level longer than outfield players, but even for the very best there comes a time when the reflexes have departed. That split second that makes the difference is gone.

It can happen overnight.

Obviously, people will make allowances. They’ll hope the former champion will come good.

Sometimes they do… for a while.

As I said, I’m a Mariners fan and only wish the very best for Danny. But we’re not talking amateur football where hearts can be permitted to trump brains. We’re talking professional football where cold-hearted decisions need to be made in the best interests of the club.

It is very hard to justify Danny’s position in the team after not just that performance, but all performances this year.

It’s also hard to justify any goalkeeper's selection at the World Cup at the expense of Mitch Langerak.

Langerak, in my opinion, is clearly (by some distance) the in form Australian goalkeeper and his non-selection is a travesty.

This is no reflection at all on Vuka (or Redders), who has answered Arnie’s call every time. But you have to ask: how on Earth was Langerak left out of the squad?

If the answer is politics… big deal. All professional teams have politics and it’s the manager’s job to deal with that. This is why Ange refuses to be friends with his players – so he can drop them with impunity.

I suspect Arnie has become too friendly with (some of) his players which forces him into odd decisions.

Of course, he did drop his son in law – Trent Sainsbury – which on the surface completely undermines my argument. The complexities of that decision are way beyond my (distant) analysis.

But the brutal reality for the Mariners is that Vuka will not be filling the players with confidence and that is the number one job of a goalkeeper – to encourage the outfielders to play with a sense of freedom. If they are constantly worried about what might happen if the keeper is called into action, they will not play with the full range of their abilities.

If I were Monty I’d be testing Yaren Sozer to the absolute limits of his ability during the World Cup to see what he’s made of.

That’s not to say I think it’s over for Vuka, but no-one – no matter who they are and what they’ve done – is entitled to keep their place forever without proving (at least occasionally) that they’re still worth it.

Please don’t hate me for writing this…

 

Adrian's books can be purchased at any good bookstore or through ebook alchemy. His first sci-fi novel (Asparagus Grass) will be published by Hague Publishing in early 2023.