Sport
Shepparton South’s Nick Mori signs on the line for Melbourne NPL club St Albans Dinamo
Nick Mori’s final season in the Bendigo Amateur Soccer League will always be remembered as one of the most decorated of any individual.
Shepparton South’s explosive winger has signed on the line for National Premier League club St Albans Dinamo, with the move to a higher standard inevitable considering his 2023 haul.
Mori was simply mercurial during his breakout year.
The 19-year-old claimed the BASL Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Top Goal Scorer as well as a spot in the Team of the Year.
He also won Shepparton South’s best-and-fairest and top goal-scorer awards.
While understandably gutted to lose a player of Mori’s calibre, Shepparton South president Gino Cirillo was pleased to see the scorching talent test his mettle in the state’s top tier.
Cirillo was contacted by St Albans’ senior coach Ryan McGuffie, who had placed Mori on his radar. After Cirillo referred the Shepparton South sensation, it didn’t take long for the teenager to impress.
“I sort of became mates (with McGuffie) over a phone call, he’s got contacts with the Bendigo League and with Shepparton, and he saw that this young bloke kicked 25 goals and was outstanding as young player of the year,” Cirillo said.
“He wanted to contact me as president of the club...he asked me about him and I sort of said I’d like to see him play locally at NPL level. But he set his sights a little bit higher.
“He’s really rapt with him (Mori), he’s taken it at a professional level and he’s taken it really serious. He’s training with the senior squad and he believes he’ll get his chance in NPL.
“He’s really excited with the way Nick’s going about it, he’s got the height, he’s got the agility.”
Mori was offered a two-year deal at the club following a successful trial period which is already paying dividends.
The quick and technical winger scored a belting long-range effort in St Albans’ under-23 game against Melbourne Knights in the CRO Cup at the weekend.
He is loving life and assimilating into the second tier of Australian football.
“It was a lot of travelling down there, but the standard was very high,” Mori said.
“The ball movement was very, quick, fast, (there was) a lot of talking - they were a very encouraging group and were good to get along with.
“I just saw the opportunity of playing higher than South, obviously (with St Albans) being in NPL, I thought I may as well give it a go.
“If it doesn’t work out then I’ve obviously got South to fall back on but I wanted to go higher, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Mori eluded that he’ll train with St Albans’ senior squad full time but will likely start the season playing in the under-23 setup.
From there, the future is at his feet.
While Cirillo said he would’ve enjoyed seeing Mori in Goulburn Valley Suns gear this season, he congratulated the Southerners’ product on his leap towards a professional career.
“We wish the kid all the best,” he said.
“It’s exciting that we can develop our juniors because we’ve got a great junior contingency.
“It’s good for soccer in general, but it’s good for the Goulburn Valley and good for us.
“We would have loved to see him have a bit of a go at the Suns but St Albans is a great step up nonetheless.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to see him go up; once he plays seniors there, he’s only a step off A-League.”