QUICKLY developing a reputation as one of the A-League's most dangerous long-range strikers, Sydney FC's Brendon Santalab knows he's got a bit of work to do before he can unleash his trademark rockets on a more frequent basis.
Santalab's 30-metre effort in last week's 3-0 win over Adelaide had the whole competition talking about the former Sydney United star's freakish ability from distance, which first came to note during his days at Edensor Park.
Since he joined Sydney FC last January, Santalab has managed three goals from his 19 appearances, but each strike would easily qualify as a goal-of-the-season contender.
"I'm probably due for a tap-in," he said yesterday. "I don't know where it came from, but I was pretty happy with it. It's always nice to score those goals."
And how did last Saturday's effort compare to some of his other strikes from similar range?
"It was up there, but I think the sweetest one I've ever hit was against Central Coast [last season]," he said. "That's our F3 derby, and they're always the best to win, so I'd have to say that one is my favourite."
Memorable moments aside, the 26-year old is confronting the slightly bigger issue of how he'll win back his spot in John Kosmina's starting 11 after the off-season from hell.
It wasn't exactly a vote of confidence when Kosmina pulled out the chequebook to sign John Aloisi and Mark Bridge in the biggest combined striking coup since the A-League started.
Then, as Santalab set about fighting for his spot, he blasted a ball in training and ended up with a quadriceps tear, sidelining him for nearly three months. Kosmina would later call it "stupid", but his striker has worked diligently to return.
"I feel good about myself at the minute," he said. "Obviously I had an injury during the pre-season which caused a few setbacks, but I've done a really good program to get back and I've recovered fully. It's frustrating to be out, but that's a part of the sport and you deal with it. You've just got to stay tuned in, keep training hard and do all the right to come back as quick as you can.
"Since I haven't managed a lot of game time, I'm not fully match fit - but that will come over the next few weeks when I play a bit more, and hopefully we'll go from there."
Santalab's next goal is to win a starting berth - and keep it. It's a major task at the best of times for any player, but even more so when there is an abundance of quality players to pick from.
"It's a great challenge for me that we have great players at the club, and I'm up for the challenge," he said. "Because we're all working together, I can learn from them as well. We're playing well at the moment so it's great to be a part of a winning team."
Santalab's journey as a professional footballer has taken him on a slightly unusual route after he moved on from stints with Parramatta Power and then Sydney United in the old NSL. He spent six months on loan with Singapore club Geylang, before re-joining United.
He then left for Croatia for trials with Hajduk Split and HNK Rijeka, but no offer emerged. He then headed to Belgium, where he played a season each with Oostende and Sint-Truiden. That was followed with six months in Hungary with Ujpest - but he didn't play a single game.
The nightmare ended when then-Sydney FC manager Branko Culina offered him a contract. But he has no regrets.
"I'd like to go back [to Europe] one day," he said. "You'd like to go to the glamour leagues and there are certain places in Europe I'd love to play, but for now though I'd like to stay with Sydney and have a good season."
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