The Melbourne City Gazette
Squad25 Oct 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Macklin Freke
20 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Melbourne City lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
Gaku Nawata, 21, steals the show — 7.72
Marked 7.72 at 21, in a side that makes no allowances for age. He did not need any, and he looked the least nervous man on the pitch.
The dugout25 Oct 2027
James Nieuwenhuizen keeps the receipts
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Melbourne City may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
Awer Mabil beats them one at a time
Successful dribbles: 22. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Squad25 Oct 2027
A falling-out at Melbourne City
Harrison Delbridge and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Boardroom25 Oct 2027
5 academy players handed senior numbers at Melbourne City
The morning the pathway stops being a brochure and becomes a team sheet. Most of them will not be here in three years; all of them have already done the hard part, which was getting to today.
The terraces25 Oct 2027
One of their own: Gaku Nawata
He is 21 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Market25 Oct 2027
Melbourne City promote Flynn Price from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Flynn Price has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market25 Oct 2027
Melbourne City promote Logan Bennett from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Logan Bennett has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
In brief
- Market One of our own: Sam Johnson joins the Melbourne City first team
- Market One of our own: Max Thompson joins the Melbourne City first team
- Squad Words at Melbourne City training over how hard people work