Special Feature: Norval shining under the posts for Rockdale
?I went from the U/13s at Rockdale to the U/14s at Sydney University and then went to Sydney United 58 where I played until re-joining Rockdale.
?I arrived two weeks before the current season started but was made to feel really welcome by everyone so that helped me to settle in quickly.?
At Sydney United 58 he won the Under 20 Premiership and was also part of the 1st Grade Runners-up side last season and the experience of that stands him in good stead as the Suns make steady progress up the table during the current campaign.
?Winning matches breeds confidence and after a slow start this year we have shown we can mix it with any club on our day and the recent wins against Sydney Olympic (home) and Blacktown City (away) have confirmed this to us.
?We are all working for, and respect each other which makes us more determined to get results and Mark (Coach Mark Rudan) has helped instil this in the side.
?Now we come into training and games with self-belief that we were perhaps lacking earlier in the season.
The partnership that has developed between Norval and the defenders has grown into a solid unit.
?We all have the confidence in each other to back ourselves and know where everyone is on the pitch and that is something that only grows with playing together and I feel we can still improve as the season goes on.
?Each of us knows what is expected and what we need to do and the winning mentality we have had instilled in us is something we want to keep going.?
Joining Sydney FC?s Youth team last year is something Norval rates very highly.
?It has to be one of the best experiences for me to date in my career and I embraced the opportunity.
?All the ?keepers trained together and Ivan Necevski helped me a lot and is someone I can call if I ever need advice on anything which is a huge bonus.
?Zeljko Kalac, Sydney FC?s Goalkeeper coach, is someone I owe a great deal to with what he has done for me.
?When I went to Sydney FC it was a real eye opener and made me press the re-set button and obviously it is something I want to further add to. Going there last year I was seen as one of the ?older? players in the youth team at nineteen but the experience of that environment cannot be underestimated.?
With Rockdale sitting just outside the Top Five slots with a game in hand, at time of writing, it must be hard to repress thoughts of Final?s football.
?The coach has all of us totally focused on the next game and nothing more.
?We train for the next match and plan the tactics accordingly and don?t look further than that to be honest but we all think to ourselves how the season has gone for us so far and perhaps quietly ask ourselves why can?t this run can’t continue.
?It?s an exciting time to be at Rockdale and I?m enjoying every minute of it, my team mates, the coach, the Board and the crowd are making it a pleasure and the football we are playing is the icing on the cake, so if you ask me where can we finish I can only answer let?s see after our final game and then I can tell you,? he ends with a laugh.
Rockdale certainly have the belief and ability to ?do the business? this term and in some style but also they can ?mix it? if the situation dictates and to date have shown a spine that has been lacking in recent seasons so as the annual NSW Premier League roller-coaster ride continues to its conclusion, perhaps the time is now to stand up and take notice of the Suns.
-By Micky Brock
