Soccer
PENINSULA Strikers star Cooper Andrews is a wanted man. He trained with State 1 side Mazenod early this week and he’ll be at Strikers training on Thursday but may return to his NPL junior club Kingston City now in VPL2. Cooper has spoken to new Strikers co-coaches Ross Walliss and Stephen Duffy without committing himself to staying at Centenary Park.
Strikers’ rollercoaster 2025 season ended on a dramatic low when it could only draw 3-3 at home to Casey Comets handing promotion to neighbouring Skye United. “That last game was a lot to take and the emotions were all over the place,” Andrews said.
“I definitely needed to switch off from football and even though I’ve been getting calls from other clubs I’ve made it clear that I needed a break. “I got back from a family holiday last week and that’s when I started thinking about next season.”
Andrews started playing at primary school before joining Endeavour United’s juniors. He switched to Kingston and played at under-15, under-16 and under-20 levels. “I had a great time there. “It was the first time playing with better players and having to earn your spot in the team. “We had a coach called Lee Scott who is probably the best tactical coach I’ve had. “I know a lot of parents didn’t like him because he was really hard on some of the kids but my parents really loved it.”
Once Andrews realised he couldn’t progress further at Kingston the then 17-year-old turned towards the chance to play senior football back at Endeavour United. “I was quite small and skinny and didn’t know how I would go against bigger-bodied players but I can recommend dropping down the leagues and facing the demands of the more physical aspects of the game.
“I joined (head coach) Dario Simunic at Lyndale for the 2020 season but COVID ruined that year. “Dario put together a pretty crazy team and we would have walked the league that season.”
It was back to Endeavour for the abbreviated 2021 season. “The first time I was there to prove to myself that I could play seniors but this time I wanted to try and be the best player in the league and help get the club promoted.”
Only 12 games were played that season as the pandemic lingered but Andrews caught the eye of a number of clubs who contacted him during the off-season.
One such club was Strikers where Steve Shephard had seen him playing against Baxter and was impressed. That led to Andrews cementing himself in Donn Delaney’s side and being one of the first players picked during Scott Morrison’s three-season reign. Strikers have finished 4th, 5th, 3rd and 3rd in Andrews’ four seasons there.
Cashed-up Bayside Argonauts made him a lucrative offer at the end of the 2024 season but he turned them down. “It was a nice feeling to be wanted. “But I’ve always been surrounded by good people who have my best interests at heart and they’ve explained that you shouldn’t always be motivated by money.
“I looked at things from a holistic point of view – how going to the Argonauts would affect other aspects of my life. “I was going through changes in my work and my businesses and wanted to keep some things constant especially football which had always been an outlet to me.”
No doubt hearing that money isn’t a prime motive more clubs will be keen to talk to Andrews as he mulls over his football future. Skye United could be one such club. “I have a good relationship with Phil (McGuinness, head coach). “He’s a really good guy and the type of person that I could talk to about football and life for hours. “He’s like Scotty in that regard.”
But don’t rule out Strikers just yet. “They have some amazing people there and at the very least I owe it to them to talk things through but right now it’s a wait and see.”
In State 1 South-East news Mornington may have completed one of the signings of the off-season when it agreed terms last week with central defender Nathan Sim. The 32-year-old was an ever-present in this year’s Bentleigh Greens VPL1 championship side.
Sim, Brendan White and Luke Oresti were the only Greens players to have featured in every match of the club’s 26-game league program. Sim’s arrival at Dallas Brooks Park is timely given that central defender Jack McDonald is on the verge of signing with Eastern Lions.
Mornington gaffer Adam Jamieson has opted for a shortened pre-season leading into next year’s league campaign and won’t start pre-season until Saturday 17 January. “There were periods last year where we were flat early on and I want to minimise that,” Jamieson said. “We’ve got a decent enough squad who are professional enough to get themselves ready for round one and be a little fresher than we were this year.”
Still in State 1 and Skye United gaffer Phil McGuinness has signed off on pre-Christmas friendlies for his recently promoted squad. Skye’s program kicks off on Saturday and ends with a clash with Langwarrin in late December.
Here is the full program:
Saturday 22 November: v Geelong, Egan Lee Reserve, 11am & 12.45pm; Thursday 27 November: v. Chelsea, Carrum Downs Recreation Reserve, 7.30pm; Saturday 29 November: v. Hampton Park, Reema Reserve, 1pm & 3pm; Saturday 13 December: v. Casey Comets, Comets Stadium, 1pm & 3pm; Tuesday 23 December: v. Langwarrin, Lawton Park, 7.30pm.
Please check KO times closer to the event as they may be subject to change.
In State 4 news Baxter is planning to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. The club’s origins date back to the 1970s and Overport Athletic juniors.
Club president Bray Hodgkinson and his committee are planning a number of events to mark the milestone. “We’ll definitely have a 50th-year celebratory event either at the club or at another venue,” Hodgkinson said. “We’ll also have a 50th-year anniversary kit which will be used during a senior game throughout the season and we’ll place a bigger emphasis on our past players’ day. “These are some of the ideas we’re looking at.”
Last but not least the only game in the local area next weekend is Langwarrin’s clash with a UK touring squad at Lawton Park on Saturday at 11am.
