Safe hands … Ante Covic saves a penalty against Adelaide. Photo: Getty Images
ANGE Postecoglou isn't known for making mistakes, but if he had his time again, cutting Ante Covic from his roster at Melbourne Victory is a decision he might reconsider.
Covic was named player of the year for Victory, no small feat given how disastrous they were defensively last season. At times, Covic was all that stood between the A-League's powerhouse club and repeated embarrassment.
There could only be one reason Covic was dumped in May. He turned 37 a month later, and that was too old for Postecoglou, who had visions of building a team for the future.
Yet here we are in December, and a different tale can be told. Covic is in the kind of form that, discounting Mark Schwarzer, would have him in Socceroos contention. As neither Lawrence Thomas nor Tando Velaphi have proved immediately capable of replacing Covic, Postecoglou has had to bring in Nathan Coe.
Yet while Melbourne planned in advance, Western Sydney Wanderers coach Tony Popovic had to make his team instantly competitive and Covic, who hails from Sans Souci, virtually fell into his lap. Washed up? Not a chance.
''Had you asked me 10 years ago, I would have said these oldies are just blowing smoke up everyone when they say you get better with age,'' Covic joked this week. ''But in my case, and in most cases it seems, it's definitely true. It is a unique position where the older you get, the wiser you get. It's a position where you're not in the action all the time and mentally you have to be switched on for 90 minutes. You might be called on to do just one thing in a game, and if you're not ready for that, you'll get punished.''
So it's mental as much as physical? ''Absolutely. Way more, in fact. There's games where I'll do more work in the warm-up than in the actual game,'' he says. ''But those are the ones you have to watch out for. What age teaches you is that you can't zone in and out of a game. You have to be focused, 100 per cent, for 90 minutes. You can come off the park feeling great physically but absolutely drained mentally.
''There's many other things, too. You better understand your positioning and your angles, organising the defence, commanding the team and knowing what to say when they're down. Experience teaches you all that. That's the difference.''
Covic's mental strength will be put to the test on Saturday night in the Sydney derby, a match he very nearly had the final say in when Sydney FC met the Wanderers for the first time in round three.
He saved a retaken Alessandro Del Piero penalty, to the delight of the home fans, only for the Italian to tuck home the rebound. Now the keeper wants his moment of glory at Allianz Stadium.
''That was an awesome night but it was a fierce first game. It was very physical and high on intensity and with the supporters coming out in numbers, it was superb,'' he says. ''But we still lost, and we lost at home. That doesn't sit well with any of us here. We want to change that around. We've had a good season and while you want to win as many games as you can in a season, derbies are different. You do not want to be off, even the tiniest bit.
''I was speaking to 'Bridgey' [Mark Bridge], and you should see what it means to him. He's burning that he's probably going to miss this one [with a groin injury]. That's what derbies do. You find me a derby that doesn't begin with fireworks. It's going to be huge.''
Having played every minute of every game this season, Covic's importance to the Wanderers is paramount, but he attributes his form to how Popovic has built the club.
''It's been going well from day one. Once we started you could see that things were set up well and with 'Poppa' being the coach, he's got clear ideas and he's a very disciplined person,'' Covic says. ''He's put in a structure that is suiting us well defensively and him being a defender himself, helps us. The boys in front of me have been doing a fantastic job and I've also been in great form for a while now and I'm continuing that this season. I think that's been showing in the games.
''We're playing well, we're playing with confidence, and we're hard to break down. We're really working hard as a unit to close down every team we play. Everyone has bought into that philosophy, and it's been fantastic to be a part of.''
The coach is equally pleased at his bargain-basement buy - but is not surprised by Covic's form.
''No, not at all,'' Popovic says. ''Age is just a number and players stop because of a lack of fitness, motivation or hunger. He's got all of that, so his age is not relevant, and he's an outstanding goalkeeper.''
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