Ok, he never played for Adelaide United in the Hyundai A-League and it’s therefore a bit of a stretch to use a Damian Mori feature as part of the build-up to Saturday’s clash with the Reds here at nib Stadium.
But we hope you’ll forgive the rather tenuous link given that there’s no denying that the electrifying frontman is every bit as cherished by the South Australian football public as he is here in WA.
Why?
Because before, after and in-between scoring 84 goals for Glory and helping steer the side to two National Soccer League titles, he enjoyed no fewer than seven separate spells with Adelaide City, during which he found the net on more than 200 occasions.
Blessed with searing pace and an unerring, almost uncanny, eye for goal, the man from Melbourne terrorised defences across the country from 1989 to 2011, while also scoring 29 times for the Socceroos over the course of a ten-year international career.
Even during Glory’s difficult first Hyundai A-League season, he still managed to add a further seven goals to his tally, but it was his four-year stint with the club in the NSL that cemented his place as a genuine club legend.
Forging an on-field understanding with strike partner Bobby Despotovski that bordered on being otherworldly, Mori’s highlights included the incredible 2002-03 season which culminated in him scoring in Glory’s maiden Grand Final triumph while also taking out the Johnny Warren Medal and Golden Boot award.
Since hanging up his boots, he has, almost inevitably, returned to Adelaide City where his coaching career to date has been punctuated by regular league and cup triumphs and it is surely only a matter of time before he is given the opportunity to prove himself at A-League level.
But for now, let’s just enjoy the magnificent, mercurial player he was.
We’d love to hear your favourite Mori memories, so please share them with us via Facebook and Twitter.
And in the meantime, we’ll try and dig out some more shots of the great man in action.
#CREATEDESTINY
