Turncoats spice up clash

Mate Dugandzic. Photo: Wayne Taylor

A HANDFUL of players have already swapped Victory blue for Heart red in the past 12 months, with their changed allegiances adding spice to the only genuine derby in the A-League.

Mate Dugandzic, who quit Victory to join its cross-town rival in March, will be suiting up in stripes for the first time tomorrow against the club at which he made his professional debut.

Kristian Sarkies, who scored a goal in Victory’s 2007 grand final rout of Adelaide, will be hoping to do the same against his former employer.

Heart’s new captain, Fred, another Victory old boy, will miss the clash, with a hamstring injury ending his chances of putting one over his former teammate Archie Thompson, for whom he proved such a gilt-edged creator in that amazing championship season.

No player has yet crossed town the other way, but in the pre-season it looked a possibility that former Heart skipper Simon Colosimo could become the first.

The defender was told that his place in the side could not be guaranteed if he was not fit, and there were plenty of whispers that he wanted out. Victory was – and is still – anxious to sign another centre-half.

Colosimo is now fit and expected to return to action tomorrow when his presence at the back will be a big boost to a shaky Heart defence.

But could he end up in blue at some point? It’s fascinating to speculate, especially as Victory is keen to trim down its squad, loaded up with players signed by former boss Ernie Merrick.

One player that could be available is striker Danny Allsopp, who was left out of the squad last weekend for the loss in Adelaide. Rumours are rife that he was offered to Wellington Phoenix, although Victory sources say the inquiry came from New Zealand, not the other way around.

Brazilian Maycon has yet to convince in the centre-forward role at Heart, while youngster Eli Babalj is inexperienced. Allsopp is one of the league’s most consistent, hard-working strikers and is certainly good enough to play week in, week out in the A-League.

There has been no suggestion of such a deal, and it probably won’t happen. But it would have a nice symmetry about it if Allsopp and Colosimo swapped sides – and would definitely add spice to subsequent meetings.

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