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Sport

14 August, 2023

Zelencich secures 100 with 17-goal haul

Many footballers dream of kicking 100 goals in a season, and for Carisbrook’s Anthony Zelencich, he was able to achieve the feat on Saturday, thanks to an enormous 17-goal haul against Campbells Creek. Zelencich reached the mark for the first...

By Michael Thompson

Anthony Zelencich has been consistent around the goalmouth all season long for Carisbrook, including this goal against Navarre in round 13 — one of five for the day. Photo: 150823 11
Anthony Zelencich has been consistent around the goalmouth all season long for Carisbrook, including this goal against Navarre in round 13 — one of five for the day. Photo: 150823 11

Many footballers dream of kicking 100 goals in a season, and for Carisbrook’s Anthony Zelencich, he was able to achieve the feat on Saturday, thanks to an enormous 17-goal haul against Campbells Creek.

Zelencich reached the mark for the first time, having come close in recent seasons. In 2021, Zelencich would have almost certainly reached the mark, but COVID restrictions meant he fell short, recording 78 goals in 10 games. In 2022, Zelencich would finish on 92 goals from 19 games.

However, now that he’s managed the feat, he can focus on the task at hand, winning another flag for Carisbrook.

“It’s nice to get it over and done with and be able to focus on finals, to be honest. I know a lot of people follow these kinds of things quite closely, so it was good to tick it off,” Zelencich said.

While Zelencich basked in kicking 17 goals against Campbells Creek, he also noted that managing to get off the chain is harder than it looks at times.

“Sometimes, it’s harder to kick goals against the struggling teams. They might throw a couple of numbers back and it disrupts the system a little bit, as they try to save goals from being kicked. It can be tricky in those games,” he said.

“But I think it’s purely based on the work that is done up the ground. The midfielders do plenty of work and I go out to finish it off. The way we move the ball helps me find space and it allows me to get into one-on-one situations, as opposed to there being a secret to kicking goals.

“Sometimes it can be tricky, the teams we play, the weather, the way they set up, and the way we want to try to set up, they’re all factors.

“I like to be as consistent as I can. I don’t worry about kicking goals or anything like that, but if I work hard enough and get into the right spots, I get rewarded, but I finish off the good work of the team.”

Zelencich has feasted on opposition defences throughout the season, with his weekend haul joining a bag of 10 against Royal Park, three hauls of nine against the Tigers, Creek and Newstead, and seven more games where he’s kicked five or more goals.

It means he is now one of four players across Victoria to reach the 100-goal mark this season, joining Marong’s Brandyn Grenfell, Alvie’s Dominic Dare and Mitta United’s Ethan Redcliffe in reaching the mark.

Zelencich was quick to pay tribute to the better teams in the competition, in which he has enjoyed some good battles throughout the season.

Two hauls of four against Harcourt and Trentham, as well as his lowest tally of the season — a solitary goal against Natte Bealiba — has made him pay his respects to their defences as he prepares for a flag tilt.

“The teams around us are so well-drilled. You look around, and this has been the tightest top four that I’ve been a part of in a long time. On a given day, any of those top four teams can have a red-hot crack. Playing against Trentham, Natte and Harcourt, when those teams play their best football, as well as us, they can all win it,” he said.

“To me, Harcourt is still the team to beat. They’ve proved it throughout the year. But if we can play our best football throughout the year, we can give it a big crack.”

However, Zelencich says the togetherness of the Redbacks can help them secure the premiership in 2023, and get back on top after near-misses in 2019 and 2022.

“I think being able to play together for at least three or four years, the way we connect across the ground is only getting stronger, as we have played with each other for such a long time,” he said.

“When you bring in some good players, it doesn’t necessarily mean you automatically win, as you have to figure out what works and how to get the best out of each other.

“We have a good connection on and off the field, we work well as a tight-knit group. Culture is the biggest thing you can drive in a club to give each other the best chance of being successful.”

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