Nik Mrdja
Nikola "Nik" Mrdja (born 30 November 1978) is an Australian former football player, who played as a striker.[1]
![]() Mrdja with Central Coast Mariners in 2009 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Nikola Mrdja[1] | ||
Date of birth | 30 November 1978 | ||
Place of birth | Perth, Western Australia | ||
Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
Position(s) | Striker | ||
Youth career | |||
Bayswater City | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1997 | Bayswater City | ||
1998 | Kingsway | ||
1998–1999 | Canberra Cosmos | 3 | (0) |
2000 | Perth SC | 6 | (2) |
2000–2004 | Perth Glory | 73 | (25) |
2004 | AIK | 12 | (2) |
2005–2011 | Central Coast Mariners | 48 | (12) |
2010 | → Melbourne Victory (loan) | 3 | (1) |
National team | |||
2007 | Australia | 1 | (0) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only |
Born in Perth, Mrdja had a career spanning several National Soccer League (NSL) and A-League clubs from 1998 to 2011, as well as a brief spell in Sweden with AIK in 2004.
Mrdja made one appearance for Australia, in a friendly against Argentina in 2007.
Mrdja no longer plays professionally. The West Australian newspaper, on 24 April 2019, reported that the ex-A-League frontman told Fremantle Magistrates Court he will plead not guilty to offences, which include 10 counts of aggravated possession of a firearm, possession of methamphetamine and cannabis and three counts of possession of stolen property.
Mrdja has also been charged by Western Australian Police with two counts of possession of a silencer, possession of drug paraphernalia, being an unlicensed person in possession of a firearm or ammunition, cultivating a prohibited plant and receiving a prohibited plant.
Club career
Early years
Mrdja scored a golden goal for Perth Glory in the final of the 2003–04 National Soccer League against Parramatta Power in the last match of the NSL.[2]
Central Coast Mariners
In December 2004, Mrdja signed with Central Coast Mariners to play in the newly formed A-League.[3] In the Mariners first competitive fixture, an F3 Derby against the Newcastle Jets in qualification for the 2005 OFC Club Championship, Mrdja broke opposing defender Andrew Durante's leg with a tackle late in extra time.[4] The incident subsequently gained prominence as a sparking point for the clubs' rivalry.[5] On the field, Mrdja's early form for the Mariners was strong. In the club's next game against Adelaide United, Mrdja scored a hat-trick, sealing progress to the qualification final.[6] He scored another hat-trick in a 2005 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup win over Queensland Roar.[7]
However, soon after Mrdja suffered a knee injury causing him to miss the entire 2005–06 A-League season, eventually returning early in the 2006–07 season.[8] His first goal in the A-League came from a direct free kick in a win over New Zealand Knights on 19 November 2006.[9] Mrdja's knee injury continued to be an issue, and saw him miss much of the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons.[10]
Melbourne Victory
In February 2010, with the Mariners out of contention for the 2009–10 A-League finals, Mrdja was released by the Mariners and signed a short-term deal with Melbourne Victory to play in the final rounds of the A-League and in the 2010 AFC Champions League, as an injury replacement for Billy Celeski. At the same time, he signed a deal to play for the Mariners again in the 2010–11 season.[11] The unusual nature of the move, despite being valid within the rules, created significant controversy, given its lateness in the season and the ban on direct loans between A-League clubs.[12] The issue, and subsequent public controversy, prompted a review of the A-League's transfer rules by Football Federation Australia.[13]
Mrdja made his debut for the Victory on 5 February 2010, coming on as a halftime substitute in a win over North Queensland Fury, in the second-last round of the 2009–10 A-League regular season.[14] He scored his first goal for the club two weeks later, in a win in the first leg of the major semifinal against Sydney FC, before being sent off later in the match for elbowing Shannon Cole.[15] Mrdja received a two-game suspension for the incident, which eventually saw him miss the 2010 A-League Grand Final.[16]
Mrdja retired from professional football at the end of the 2010–11 season.[17]
International career
Mrdja was called up to the Australian national team for the first time in September 2007 for a friendly against Argentina, after an injury ruled out Scott McDonald and following Mrdja's good form in the A-League.[18] In the game, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Mrdja made his debut as a substitute in the 82nd minute, coming on for Joshua Kennedy in a 1–0 defeat.[19]
Honours
Club
- National Soccer League Championship: 2002–03, 2003–04
- National Soccer League Premiership: 2001–02, 2003–04
- A-League Premiership: 2006–07
- A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup: 2005
See also
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2020.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Mrjda wins it for Glory". The World Game. 4 April 2004. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- Lynch, Michael (15 December 2004). "Player drain as Victory delays". The Age. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- Cockerill, Michael (9 May 2005). "A-League's new order hits the spot, but fans take time to catch on". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- Danvers, Greg (15 August 2008). "Siblings face off in epic A-league opener". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- Cockerill, Michael (12 May 2005). "It's Mrdja as Mariners sink Adelaide". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- "Mrdja hat-trick seals win". The World Game. 24 July 2005. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- "Mrdja back for Mariners". The World Game. 26 October 2006. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- "Mariners on the move after downing Knights". ABC News. 19 November 2006. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- "Mrdja and Osman return to the fold". Football NSW. 12 May 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- "Mrdja makes Melbourne move". 5 February 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- Airs, Kevin (8 February 2010). "Mrdja's Odyssey is a move too far". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- "Mrdja switch backlash prompts FFA review". ABC News. 9 February 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- "El Zorro the hero for Victory". FourFourTwo. 5 February 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- "Victory don't get away with Mrdja". FourFourTwo. 18 February 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- Hand, Guy (23 February 2010). "Mrdja's ban may include Grand Final". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- "Mariners sign Baird from Glory". ABC News. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- Chiarelli, Simon (7 September 2007). "Mrdja gets the Socceroos nod". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- "Argentina get home against gallant Australia". Football Federation Australia. 12 September 2007. Retrieved 18 April 2017.