Futsal guns set to fire
AFTER bowing out in the quarter-finals of the 2009 Maccabiah Games, Australia’s futsal team is on the hunt for a better finish in 2013.
AFTER bowing out in the quarter-finals of the 2009 Maccabiah Games, Australia’s futsal team is on the hunt for a better finish in 2013.
The side will again be coached by former national captain Simon Keith and is headlined by current Futsalroo Jarrod Basger.
Doron Pozniak, Paul Meltz, Jordan Mundell and Lev Lewis return to spearhead an 11-man side entirely from Sydney, with most of the squad playing an integral part of Maccabi Hakoah’s triumph in the Australian F-League, the New Zealand national league, the Vienna European Maccabiah Games and the NSW Super League.
“Four years goes past quickly, but the one main thing we have all learnt is that when you work hard, the impossible becomes possible,” Pozniak said.
“Since that loss to Russia [in 2009], we have won four major competitions, and we learnt that with a bit of passion, friendship and trust, we became a team that is talked about.”
With someone of the ilk of Basger in the side, and with some members of the team’s recent successes, Australia has made a name for itself in the lead-up to this year’s Games.
“This time around, we might have targets on our back,” Pozniak said.
“Everyone knows now how hard Australia is to compete with and we aim to bring that to Israel.”
Maccabi Hakoah is no longer in the F-League due to the logistics of the national competition, but Basger (Dural FC), Mundell, Pozniak and Lewis (East Coast Heat) are all currently playing at the top level.
Lewis and Mundell are both current NSW representatives, while squad members Dylan Basger and Matt Rosenberg represented their state at under-19 level.
The team features plenty of up-and-coming talent, including goalkeeper Max Nightingale, Jonathan Barzel and Zac Rabie.
But leading the way will be crafty veteran Pozniak, 30, who brings three campaigns to the table and is hoping for a more successful trip.
“We know the road is a long one, but winning it would be my dream come true,” Pozniak said.
“People are telling me we are a gold medal chance – that alone means the world to me.”
AJN Staff
Photo: Peter Haskin
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