The recruitment process has kicked off at Belmore Sports Ground as former NSL giants Sydney Olympic have commenced its plans to hopefully win some silverware in 2021 with the signings of new players set to don the famous Blue and White kit.

Former Manly United ace midfielder Brendan Cholakian has made the huge move from the Northern Beaches as has fellow teammate, promising young striker Marley Peterson.

The two will link up with Japanese import Yu Hasegawa, a striker with ample experience playing in the top tiers of Japan with the likes of Shimizu S-Pulse, Omiya Ardija, Avispa Fukuoka and Kashiwa Reysol to name a few.

Former North Shore Mariners ace Daniel Dias has also made the move to Olympic as has former Central Coast Mariners Academy skipper Michael Glassock.

It’s believed that the club will announce another huge signing in the new year but the Blues will once again call upon a number of its regular stars with recently capped NSW Blues defender Tom Whiteside, Adam Parkhouse, Nicola Kuleski, Hagi Gligor, Peter Kekeris, Will Angel, Darcy Burgess, Benjamin Van Meurs, Jason Madonis and Oliver Pufflett all agreeing to new contracts with the club.

Sydney Olympic midfielder Jason Madonis will be putting his friendship aside with Rockdale Ilinden’s star player and Baker Alec Urosevski as the Blues go in search of a Grand Final ticket this weekend.

Urosevski has been in scintillating form for the newly crowned 2020 Premiers with Madonis acknowledging the ace marksman’s dangers come Saturday evening when the pair lock horns in their semi-final clash with the winner progressing to this year’s Grand Final.

“Alec and I actually played together at Sydney Olympic 10 years ago and since he moved to Rockdale we’ve played against each other countless times.

“He’s definitely one of their danger men up front so we can’t afford him time and space.

“It’s always a good battle when we play and I’m sure we’ll be trying to one-up each other on Saturday.”

Madonis would love nothing more than to see Olympic knock off Rockdale who clinched their first ever NPL piece of silverware last weekend – The Blues too had a great opportunity in fighting for the Premiership but their 1-1-all draw against the Mt Druitt Town Rangers put an end to their title hopes – It was a game which also saw the Blues stalwart miss a crucial penalty.

“Of course, Sydney Olympic is a club that always has high expectations, and the goal is to win every piece of silverware on offer. We are disappointed we fell short however there is still the Championship trophy to fight for and all of our attention is focused on winning that to cap off a strong season.

“I was obviously gutted with the penalty miss and drawing the game but that’s all part of football.

“I’ve had a good run from the penalty spot and converted all of them in the last three years so this one just wasn’t meant to be. I’ll learn from it and move on.”

Traditionally, matches against Rockdale always prove to be thrilling ones and Saturday evening’s encounter is sure to be just that as the Ilinden Sports Centre will play host to a blockbuster affair.

“Rockdale is a strong team and Ilinden is always a tough place to go. They’ve been consistent all season and won the Premiership for a reason.

“In saying that, I have full belief in my team and I’m confident that if we go there and play to the best of our ability we can win the game and progress to the Grand Final.

“Everyone knows about the rivalry between our two clubs and these games are always the most exciting, I’m really looking forward to it.

“We will go into the game just like every other game, giving 100% and having full confidence and belief that we can win the game.

“Yes there’s a little more pressure being a semi-final, but we’ve been here before and we know what it takes to win big games and qualify for Grand Finals.

“It’s been two-years since we won the Championship and everyone at the club is hungry to do it again.”

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Sydney Olympic’s promising young goalkeeper Nick Sorras had a dream debut for the club when the Blues defeated arch-rivals Sydney United 58 last Sunday in the opening round of the rebooted National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s season.

The 22-year-old former Australian youth international has made it a point of his to make that number one jersey his own, and with keeping his first clean sheet of the season as well as making a string of great saves at Edensor Park, he has started on the right foot.

“It was great to get off to a winning start and of course pick up the clean sheet as well.

“The boys all worked hard during pre-season, so it was great to hit the ground running.

“Everyone at the club has been extremely welcoming. I came into the squad knowing a few of the boys previously so it made it easy to fit right in.”

One familiar NPL NSW Men’s figure keeping Sorras on his toes is former Blues number one and Olympic icon and now Goalkeeper coach Paul Henderson.

“Having a goalkeeping coach of Paul’s calibre has been fantastic.

“He’s constantly helping me improve with feedback and instilling his knowledge and experience of playing at the highest levels of the game in me.

“We work hard every time we step out onto the pitch and Hendo has become a great mentor for me.”

Olympic and newly appointed coach Ante Juric have stated their intentions of winning as many matches as possible this year with Sorras further indicating the club’s seriousness in doing well during this rebooted season.

“With the squad that we have we know that anything is possible really.

“Everyone is on the same page and we are working hard to achieve the objectives we have set as a team.

“Personally, take each game one at a time and give my very best each week.”

The Personal Trainer will be taking on a familiar side this Sunday as Olympic face a red-hot Sydney FC outfit at Lambert Park.

Sorras spent some time at the Sky Blues and knows that his side are in for a tough match against some of the best young talents in Australia with the game set to be streamed live and exclusive only on NPL.TV at 5pm.

“The team and myself will be treating the game just like any other.

“It will be good to see a few old faces from my time at the club, but all concentration and focus will be on the match itself.

“We know we will be in for a good match come Sunday as they’ve come from a good win against the Wanderers.”

Nick’s not the first Sorras to have worn the famous Sydney Olympic jersey.

His father George, a quality defender, wore the Blue and White jersey proudly during the National Soccer League days.

Young Nick is hoping he too can follow in the footsteps of his father, making a name for himself at the club.

“My father is happy to see me progressing.

“I’m extremely proud to play for a club like Sydney Olympic and look forward to playing as many games for the club as possible.”