Matthew Buettner ready to fight for a starting spot at Sydney Olympic
Matthew Buettner is hungry for senior football in 2023, and the former Newcastle Jet is feeling right at home at Sydney Olympic.
With plenty of rich academy experiences under his belt, Buettner said it was a refreshing change of pace to be in a senior environment.
“For me, it’s the first time on a personal note that I’m playing in this sort of environment, with a 30-game season and that first-past-the-post competition,” he said.
“To be around senior heads and out of that academy environment where it’s just this constant big head-to-head battle within the team has been good I feel like I’m in an NPL family with big sponsors, big names…it’s just a big season, and it feels that way at the club too.”
Buettner is the son of former NRL star Michael, who enjoyed a 250+ game career in League, and said that whilst his Dad’s NRL heroics are well known, it was the influence of his Mum’s Argentinean family that saw him opt for the round ball.
“He obviously had a great career in the NRL, but Mum’s Argentinean, so she and my grandparents have always had that influence on me, and I’ve been playing football since I was seven or eight,” he said.
“Maybe Dad would have liked to have seen me in a League guernsey, but it was always football for me.
“In terms of training, though, he’s the best trainer I’ve had, mentality-wise. He’s been there and done it at the highest level of his sport, so to have someone like that I can talk to about sport and that training aspect of things has been good for me.”
On the park, Buettner has big ambitions for season 2023 as he looks to hit the ground running in New South Wales’ premier footballing competition.
“I’m just looking to nail down my spot in the team. I want to get forward and get involved in the goals, too,” he said.
“As a team, we’ve got a strong focus on getting more goals from across the squad outside of [Senior Playing Assistant Coach Roy] O’Donovan.”
Buettner and O’Donovan’s connection goes back to their time at the Jets, and the youngster said he was enjoying linking up with the lethal Irishman at Olympic.
“I’ve been in a handful of teams with him when we were at the Jets, but he’s a great guy, and he has amazing experience,” he said.
“I think as our playing assistant coach; he’s really grounded that relationship between the players and the coaching staff.
“Sometimes the coaching staff can feel a bit elevated from the rest of the group, but with Roy, he’s really approachable, and the boys know we can talk to him, so from the top down, it’s a great environment.
“We’re hoping that will help set us up for a big season.”
