Goal scoring defender Roberto Speranza continues to impress

Marconi Stallions’ Roberto Speranza curled home a crucial goal in the 96th minute of the Round 14 match against his former club Blacktown City.

The defender has become the surprise star of Marconi in recent weeks, with three goals to his name this National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s season and two in the past two games.

“It’s been unusual for me to be hitting the net quite a few times.” Speranza explained.

“During preseason the boys were laughing at me because I was doing training sessions with my brother and they were saying why are you doing so much shooting, you should be practicing defending and now I had the last laugh.

“Obviously it doesn’t matter who scores – on the weekend we could have had a few, I thought Charles’ would have been in but that got wiped off for offside.

“I think we have so many attacking options, off all our set pieces I think [Nathan] Millgate is the obvious target and if he attracts three players, maybe I can find some space.

“We have amazing e deliveries coming from [Domenic] Costanzo and when we look at attacking threats I think we have plenty of them and I think that’s why I’m being afforded a few more opportunities.”

Having netted a few goals this season, Speranza says he’s running out of post-goal celebrations.

“I’ve actually run out of celebration ideas,” he said.

“Normally when I go up for set pieces I’m there just to create havoc, but the ball has been landing on me lately so I’m not complaining.

“I’m just going to keep trying to think of weird and wonderful things to impress Flea [Assistant Coach Peter Papoythis], because I know he loves my celebrations.”

Playing alongside his brother Giorgio, the chemistry of Marconi’s defensive line is strengthened through their bond.

“We joke that I’ve been riding his wave, but now the last couple of weeks I’ve scored goals so I can say he’s, he’s riding my wave for once,” Speranza joked.

“I think playing next to G for a long time, playing in the backyard every day since we were probably five years old definitely helps out our connection and our combination.

“We both are on the same wavelength, he knows when I’m looking for a little pass to him and vice versa.

“I get up for more headers than he does, he likes to do a bit more running than I do, so he covers me and I cover him.

“Naturally you want to look after your brother just like you would your mate, even a little bit extra – I think it means that our backline chemistry is very strong.”

With a wealth of experience in the competition, Speranza is happy to see the hard work paying off for his club, crediting a big part of their success to their physical fitness.

“The preseason we did with Studsy [Brett Studman, Marconi Strength & Conditioning Coach] had us all a lot fitter than we had been in the previous years and has allowed us to play the style of football the coaches want to play for the entirety of matches and go running over the top of a lot of teams.

“I think that has played a major part to keep winning and keep playing that style for long periods.”

Another improved aspect of the Stallions’ game for 2022 has been their depth and competitiveness amongst the team.

“I think we’ve brought in a lot more depth going forward, we brought in the likes of TJ [Thomas James] and Charles [Lokolingoy] and Dom Costanzo to add to what we had at the top already and that has meant that everyone has to perform each week or someone else will slot in and do your job just as well.” Speranza said.

“We have guys who have been on the bench recently who could start any day of the week and do just as good a job as the guys who were playing already and it keeps them on their toes.

“It means training is at a higher intensity and a higher level and it just makes it a lot easier for the players and probably gives the coaches a few more headaches.”

Having slipped off the top spot last week, Marconi is still well and truly in the Premiership race and have a 10-game undefeated streak heading into Round 15.

“I think everyone at the moment is happy overall,” Speranza stated.

“Being near the top of the table again, where I think we belong and really should have been over the past couple of years, it’s good to finally deliver.

“It’s a happy camp at the moment, confidence is flying. Even though we’ve had a couple of draws mixed in there, we’ll still ride the wave of being undefeated.”

Looking to the final eight games of the regular season, Speranza is confident that the team can continue their success if they stick to their plan and use the tools their coaches have given them.

“If we stick to our guns and everyone’s on the same page we have been I think we’ll keep we’ll keep flying,” he said.

“I think that starts from inside the club from the board, to the gear stewards, to the managers, to strength conditioning guys, to video analysis and even down to our ground announcer.

“Everyone contributes in a way that if they keep doing their own little bit, it makes the personnel have an easier job to do come game day because we’re just following the game plan and everyone knows what it is.

“Having so much depth, everyone can step in and know exactly what we need to do, we just worry about ourselves and we try and make sure we get three points every week.”

With a fiercely competitive ladder, Marconi’s eyes are still well and truly on the prize for 2022.

“Our goal is always to come first,” Speranza said.

“I think we definitely have the squad for it from player one to player 20, it doesn’t matter who comes in we should be able to compete for that top spot.

“If we fall short, we’re still among the five and I back us every day of the week to go all the way through to the grand final and take some silverware this year.”