“In the most humble way possible…I want to show them what they’re missing out on.”
Marconi Stallions’ young-gun Domenic Costanzo is not letting the disappointment of his A-Leagues Men’s trial with Western Australian outfit Perth Glory get him down.
Instead, he’s using it as fuel to keep his desire to repeat and improve on his 2022 performances that helped fire Marconi to a top-four finish and Team of the Year selection.
“I’m not going to say it was a good thing, but you know, some people would go through that, and it would defeat them,” he said.
“But for me, it’s made me more hungry. I’m still ambitious, and I want to get to that next level, so I know I need to be in good form individually and to do that, we need to make sure the team is firing.”
Costanzo said the vibe was good in the Marconi camp, and there was a real buzz about the new season, particularly with the new 30-game, first-past-the-post format.
“It’s good that we’re starting earlier and the season is longer,” he said.
“I think the Club has prepared well, and we’ve put together a bigger squad knowing that we’re playing a minimum of 30 games, plus the cups.
“We’ve added depth, but we’ve added quality too, so I think we’re well-placed for a good season, and we’re ready to give it a crack.”
Marconi and Costanzo kick off their season by hosting their fellow former NSL giants Sydney United 58, which enters the campaign off the back of an incredible Australia Cup run that took them all the way to the final.
“I think it’s good to have such a big game first up,” he said.
“It keeps you on your toes, and when that first game is a bit of a derby, it adds to the excitement and the buzz.
“They probably didn’t have the best season by their standards in the league, but what they did in the Australia Cup was unbelievable, so their league standings almost didn’t matter in the end.
“They’re a big club like us; it’s a big game, so we can’t wait to get started.”
Catch Dom and co as the Stallions face Sydney United 58 on Sunday 5th of February at the Sydney United Sports Centre (3pm kick-off)