As Anthony Proia continues his football development at Brisbane Roar, the 18-year-old striker credits his ongoing education to the guidance of the club’s coaching staff and one teammate in particular.
As Anthony Proia continues his football development at Brisbane Roar, the 18-year-old striker credits his ongoing education to the guidance of the club-s coaching staff and one teammate in particular.
Fresh from scoring in Saturday-s National Youth League 4-2 win over his former club Australian Institute of Sport, Proia admitted he-s been modelling his game plan around that of last Hyundai A-League season-s Golden Boot winner Besart Berisha.
The Sydney-born youngster, who signed a three year senior contact with the Roar in February this year, said he could draw parallels between the current performances of the club-s youth and senior teams.
“We-re playing a bit like the first team and it-s great to see our passes are sticking,” he said.
“It-s a bit unfortunate we-d had these couple of losses [against Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart] because we dominated possession.
“Against the Heart, we conceded in the last minute and they won which was frustrating.
“As for my own form, I think I-m a bit like Bes at the moment.
“I-m trying really hard to get in those positions that will allow me to get the ball into the back of the net.”
Proia-s football knowledge has been enriched in the short time he-s lived in Queensland but he knows he still has aspects of his game to improve and plenty to learn about the Roar-s staunch football philosophy.
“I didn-t know much about the number nine role before I got here,” he said.
“With the way that Brisbane Roar plays the number nine, I think I-ve really developed in the nine months I-ve been here.
“I think I-ve come a long way but I-ve still got a long way to go – I just have to keep learning from Bes, listen to the coaches and when I get my chance take it with both hands.”
Like most young footballers, Proia – the club-s only other recognised out-and-out striker – dreams of the future.
While he aspires to be Brisbane-s number one option up front, he-s taking his football development one step at a time.
“I don-t know if I-ll ever play alongside him but eventually I see myself as a substitute for him,” he said.
“Being a similar player, I think I could come off the bench and have an impact, eventually building on my game time.
“I especially think I can learn from Bes- workload, he has the best work rate of any striker in the A-League and I think he-d be the fittest as well.”
Proia has played in all of Brisbane-s National Youth League matches so far this campaign and will continue to train with the senior squad throughout the season.
Brisbane Roar Youth host Western Sydney Wanderers on Sunday, 18 November at Goodwin Park, Yeronga. Kick-off is at 3pm. Tickets available at the gate – $5 adults, $2 concessions, BRFC members free.
