As part of our 20th anniversary commemorations we’re calling on members to cast their vote for Glory’s Ultimate X1.
This month we’re finalising the list for our top midfielders over the past 20 years!
EXCLUSIVE GLORY MEMBERS ULTIMATE XI – THE MIDFIELDER VOTE
GARETH NAVEN
Wigan-born Naven was Glory’s inaugural skipper having previously played for Adelaide City, Perth Kangaroos and Malaysian club, Sarawak FA.
Over the course of six years, the tough-tackling holding midfielder established himself as one of the club’s truly iconic figures, making more than 140 NSL appearances and taking out the Most Glorious Player Award in 2000.
Unfortunately, the former Australia Under-17 international never managed to lead Glory to any silverware, tasting defeat in the infamous 2000 Grand Final and being an unused substitute two years later as the WA side were edged out again, this time by Olympic Sharks.
Naven announced his retirement in the wake of that 2002 Grand Final defeat, but subsequently returned to the club to fill a number of coaching roles at both youth and senior level.
JACOB BURNS
Brought to the club by Dave Mitchell in 2009 and immediately installed as skipper, Burns was to become a mainstay of the Glory side for the next five seasons.
A consummate professional, the ex-Leeds and Barnsley man provided a hard-edged physicality to the midfield engine-room and was the perfect foil for the likes of Steven McGarry and Liam Miller.
He led the club to its maiden A-League finals appearance at the end of his first season in the west and scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out against Central Coast that took Glory to their first ever A-League Grand Final in 2012.
In that Grand Final against Brisbane, his outstanding performance saw him receive the Joe Marston Medal.
After playing 116 A-League games, the former Socceroo hung up his boots in 2014 and is currently working as the club’s Football Operations Manager.
IVAN ERGIC
A rangy midfielder who was blessed with sublime attacking skills and creative vision, Ergic spent only one season with the club and yet managed to make a deep and lasting impression.
Just 19 at the time, the AIS graduate made 23 appearances during the 1999-2000 campaign, scoring an impressive ten goals as Glory powered their way to an inaugural Grand Final appearance.
Indeed, it was his unforgettable ‘golden goal’ against Wollongong in the major semi-final that secured what would prove to be a re-match with the Wolves at Subiaco Oval.
A lucrative move to Juventus duly followed for the man from the former Yugoslavia, but although he never managed to make a first-team appearance for the Turin giants, he did go on to enjoy great success in Switzerland and Turkey with FC Basel and Bursaspor respectively.
EDGAR JUNIOR
Edgar Aldrighi Junior, to give him his full name, arrived at Glory in 1999 as a relative unknown, but swiftly attainted cult status among the club’s supporters.
Unspectacular, but technically sound and hard-working, the Brazilian kept things ticking over in the centre of midfield and played a key role in driving the club to its first Grand Final appearance in 2000.
Unfortunately, he was to miss a penalty during that Grand Final and was also on the losing side against Olympic Sharks two years later.
But the former Recife and Guarani man eventually got his hands on some silverware in 2003, coming off the bench in the revenge victory over the Sharks.
In total, he made 116 appearances during a four-year stint with the club and now aged 42, remains involved in the game as assistant coach at Hong Kong-based club, South China.
ROSTYN GRIFFITHS
Currently in his second spell with the club, Griffiths was handed the captain’s armband at the start of the season and has barely missed a game since.
A former ECU Joondalup junior, he spent three years on Blackburn Rovers’ books before returning to Australia where he turned out for Adelaide United, North Queensland Fury and most successfully, Central Coast Mariners.
After helping drive the Gosford club to the 2012 Premiership, the tenacious, 1.87m midfielder took up a lucrative offer to join Chinese side Guangzhou R&F where he was a regular starter over the next two seasons.
Arriving at Glory in 2014, his first campaign ended with the club finishing third only to miss out on the finals due to salary cap irregularities.
After spending the following year playing for Roda JC in the Dutch top-flight, Griffiths duly returned to nib Stadium and is now closing in on his 50th appearance for the club.
PAUL STRUDWICK
Having worked with Strudwick at both Perth Italia and Perth Kangaroos, it was perhaps inevitable that Gary Marocchi would bring the pacy left-winger to Glory when he became the club’s inaugural coach in 1996.
After debuting in the club’s first ever game against Sydney Olympic, the England-born wideman came off the bench to score the WA side’s maiden away goal in a 3-1 defeat at West Adelaide and repeated the feat a week later in a home win over Newcastle Breakers.
He duly went on to make nearly 70 NSL appearances over the next three seasons, scoring ten goals in the process.
In addition to his pace, trickery and pinpoint delivery from wide areas, Strudwick also possessed a long throw which was regularly utilised as a potent attacking weapon.
After parting company with Glory in 1999, he spent a season with Floreat Athena before returning to his first club, Bassendean Caledonian.
BRAD HASSELL
Hassell was already a familiar face on the NSL circuit when he signed for Glory in 2001, having spent the previous eight seasons playing for Adelaide City, Adelaide Zebras and Adelaide City Force.
A skilful midfielder with a genuine eye for goal, he was a regular starter in the side that reached the 2003 Grand Final and started in the victory over Olympic Sharks that brought Glory a first ever NSL title.
He remained a model of consistency the following year, adding a further four goals to take his tally for the club to 15 and came off the bench moments before Nik Mrdja bagged the ‘golden goal’ winner over Parramatta Power in the Grand Final.
In total, he featured for Glory on 70 occasions before moving into coaching and is currently employed by FootballWest as a Skills Acquisition Trainer.
ANDRE GUMPRECHT
Another midfielder who made a lasting impression despite spending only one season with the club, Gumprecht was a vital member of the side that reached and won the 2003 NSL Grand Final.
He had arrived at Glory having spent ten years playing for a variety of clubs in his native Germany, as well as Italian side Lecce and soon endeared himself to the Perth Oval faithful with his all-action performances in midfield.
The man from Jena featured in every game of the memorable 2002-03 campaign, scoring four vital goals along the way and completed another 90 minutes in the climactic triumph over Olympic Sharks.
Ironically, he featured against Glory in the following year’s Grand Final, having signed for Parramatta Power and subsequently went on to spend four years with Central Coast Mariners.
Now 42, Gumprecht is currently coaching Northern NSW State side, Kahibah.
TROY HALPIN
Blessed with fine technical skills, superb vision and a great range of passing, Halpin played a hugely-influential role as Glory reached the 2000 NSL Grand Final during what was his second and final season with the club.
He had previously spent two spells with his hometown side, Newcastle Breakers and had also turned out for Wollongong Wolves and Stirling before Bernd Stange brought him to Perth Oval in 1998.
It was during his time in the west that Halpin made his debut for the Socceroos in a friendly defeat at the hands of Chile, although many observers felt that he was subsequently underused at international level.
After leaving Glory, the gifted playmaker went on to play for both Sydney Olympic and Sydney United and had a spell in Malaysia with Johor.
DIEGO CASTRO
Current Glory Head Coach Kenny Lowe admitted that he thought the club had no chance of landing Castro after watching a DVD of the Spanish midfielder scoring stunning goals against the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
But the former Sporting Gijon and Getafe man did ultimately agree to sign on the dotted line in 2015 and has been lighting up the A-League ever since.
Nicknamed ‘El Maestro’, his guile and trickery make him a nightmare for defenders and his stunning displays in his debut season for Glory duly earned him the Johnny Warren Medal and the Most Glorious Player Award, along with a place in the PFA Team of the Season.
The unassuming 34-year-old bagged 13 goals last season and has continued his stellar form this term, thrilling A-League fans across the country with his sublime skills.
