FIND YOUR EDGE
It’s Friday afternoon at a
photo studio in Melbourne’s
Brunswick. Troisi is mucking
around with an oicial World
Cup ball, aiming left-footed
volleys at a black screen while
looking down the barrel of the
camera. Suddenly one of his
kicks goes astray, threatening
an air conditioning unit on the
ceiling. He smiles wryly before
nodding for the next ball.
Polite and softly spoken with
biblical tattoos on his arms,
Troisi’s low-key demeanour
camoulages a steely character
who’s shrewdly carved out a
globetrotting career – one that’s
taken him everywhere from
Newcastle to Turkey – around
national team appearances.
“My career has been
diferent because when you’re
involved in the national team
you always have to be playing
otherwise you won’t get picked,”
he says. “So if you’re somewhere
and it’s not working out, you
need to move on.”
It was for this reason that
Troisi irst returned to Australia
to play for Melbourne Victory
back in 2013, despite being
on the books at the mighty
Juventus in Serie A. “Ange
called me and said come back
to Melbourne, it’ll be good for
you and you’ll get back into the
Socceroos.” The year after he
was at the World Cup in Brazil.
This pragmatic approach to
his career began when Troisi was
15 and got signed by Newcastle
United. Playing at a Premier
League powerhouse, he quickly
learned just how competitive
the game can be at the highest
level. “In Australia when a new
player comes in we put our arms
over his shoulder and welcome
them,” he says. “Over there it’s
a completely diferent kettle
of ish because you’re taking
a local’s spot. You realise very
quickly what it’s really like,
which is that if it’s me or him,
it has to be me because he’s
thinking exactly the same thing.”
Troisi believes that tough
beginning hardened him up,
adding grit to his natural gifts.
“You see a lot of young players
here go overseas and they don’t
last,” he says. “It’s not because
they don’t have the ability. If
you’re a nice guy you’re never
going to play at the highest level.
It’s as simple as that.”MAKE YOUR MARK
But if Troisi thought Newcastle
was a cauldron of competiveness
and crazy fans, playing for
Gençlerbirliği in Turkey was next
level. “If you can play in Turkey
you can play in most countries
in the world,” he says, looking
back with a smile. “With the fans
there, it’s really full on. If you’renot winning they’ll sacriice a
goat and rub the blood on their
heads.” Conversely, when you
win, it’s party time. “It’s a big
thing to win in countries like
that, especially at a smaller club.
If you beat a bigger club, it’s a
massive celebration.”
From there, football took
Troisi to locales as diverse as
Saudi Arabia and China, before
he returned to help the Victory
win the ALeague championship
this past season. But don’t get
too used to seeing him in the
club’s navy blue strip. “To be
honest I can’t see myself sitting
at one club and inishing my
career,” he says. “I don’t know if
I get itchy feet or bored, but you
don’t want to get complacent.
Moving keeps me on my toes.”
Indeed Troisi’s vagabond
career has helped forge
a survivalist mentality.
Opportunities must be seized
and you do whatever it takes to
make your mark in the time you
have. Troisi’s motto – “it never
get easier, you just get better”- pretty much sums it up. “If
you look at me you would say
I’m technically a good player ,”
he says. “I do have that but you
get nothing from it unless you
work hard.”
It’s the kind of attitude that
allows you to succeed, whatever
the stage and wherever your
career might take you.
Core Promise
Troisi’s game relies on sturdy
foundations. “You need your
core and glutes firing,” he says.
“That’s your base.” Do this
workout to build a core you
can count on1 /Deadbugs
x10eachleg2 /Hipthrust
x10oneachleg3 /Birddog
x10oneachleg4 /Plank
Hold for 2 mins5 /Running man
x10oneachleg