Cast your mind back to the heady days of 2017. Malcolm Turnbull was Prime Minister of Australia, Ange Postecoglou was the Australia manager, and the world wasn’t aware of Rickie Lambert’s political opinions (seriously, check out his Twitter feed). More importantly to the crux of this article, Sydney FC was quickly cementing itself as Australia’s flagship football team.
Following on from an incredible double-winning season where they conceded just 12 goals and lost just 1 game, Sydney looked to build on the success. Their 2017 FFA Cup campaign was the next step, and it began with an 8-0 victory over amateur side Darwin Rovers, before a routine 3-0 win against Bankstown Berries, a cruisey 2-0 against Melbourne City, and then a 5-1 thumping of South Melbourne in the semi-finals.
Their opponents in the 2017 decider would be Adelaide United, fresh off the back of an underwhelming 2016/17 season. Thanks to the magic of Football Australia’s vague criteria, Sydney was chosen as the home side for the final to be held at Allianz Stadium in Moore Park. All previous cup finals had been won by the home side.
Sydney triumphed on the day with a 2-1 win after extra time, but who made up the side that won the Sky Blues’ first Australia Cup, and where are they now?
Sydney’s 2017 FFA Cup winners
Coached by the combative and often entertaining Graham Arnold, this side wasn’t too far from the side that lined up on 2017 A-League Grand Final day against Melbourne Victory. Arnold has gone on to coach Australia at the World Cup, bringing similar pragmatism and shape to the national side.
Goalkeeper: Andrew Redmayne
Andrew Redmayne was between the sticks during the 2017 campaign and was only just adjusting to being Sydney’s first-choice goalkeeper. Replacing the outgoing Danny Vukovic, many wondered at the time if he would be the right man for the job. Six years later, there cannot be any doubt.
The only remaining member of the starting XI, “Redders” have gone from strength to strength at Sydney, going on to win Goalkeeper of the Year twice, while winning two more A-League titles, and etching himself in Australian folklore after his “Wiggles” routine qualified Australia for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Contender for Sydney’s greatest goalkeeper, it’s hard to think of him without the beard he adorns now.
Right Back: Luke Wilkshire
Signed by Sydney as an injury replacement for Rhyan Grant who had just torn his anterior cruciate ligament for the second time, Wilkshire was reunited with former Australia manager Arnold. At age 36, he was a surprise signing for the Sky Blues but had a strong season deputising for Grant.
Wilkshire retired from the professional game at the end of 2017/18, before coaching and playing for hometown club Wollongong Wolves in the National Premier Leagues. “Rat Boy” as he was affectionately known then moved onto a briefly-held role at Central Coast Mariners. Wilkshire is now a media pundit for Paramount Plus and Ten for the A-Leagues.
Centre Back: Alex Wilkinson
It’s hard to think of a time Sydney played without Alex Wilkinson steering the ship from defence, but 2017/18 was just “Wilko’s” second season at Sydney. In the prime of his career, Wilkinson was possibly the best signing Arnold ever made at Sydney.
Wilkinson ended the cup final as Sydney’s on-field captain, and was made the permanent captain in 2019 following Alex Brosque’s retirement. The Sydney stalwart captained the side to another double-winning season in 2019/20 before retiring at the end of 2022/23 having made over 600 appearances in his career. The former captain now serves as Sydney’s Head of Football Operations.
Centre Back: Jordy Buijs
Jordy Buijs is one of the all-time Sydney cult heroes. Arriving in January 2017 with a mohawk and spending his debut getting into scuffles with Besart Berisha, he was everything the club needed and an instant fan favourite.
Buijs left Sydney at the end of the season as a new contract couldn’t be agreed, and went on to Japan where he signed for V-Varen Nagasaki, before moves to Tokushima Vortis, Kyoto Sanga, and currently Fagiano Okayama. His replacement at Sydney was Jop van der Linden, who never quite lived up to his fellow Dutchman.
Left Back: Michael Zullo
One of the finest left-backs of the A-League era, Zullo became hard to imagine as anything but a Sydney FC player. 2017/18 was his greatest-ever season at Sydney, banging crosses directly on the noggin of striker Bobo alongside his left-wing counterpart.
Zullo only managed one more complete season after this cup, with him a key member of the 2019 Grand Final-winning side in Perth. His injuries began adding up before being quickly known as a permanent fixture in the “outs” section for Sydney FC, with a nebulous time frame of “1 week” attached each Thursday. It was an unfortunate way for Zullo to end his career as his last match came in January 2021 before retiring at age 35.
Central Midfielder: Josh Brillante
At the peak of his powers, Brillante was a machine under Graham Arnold. Few players in the league could compete with his ball-winning skills in midfield, as well as having a decent peg for long-range efforts.
Brillante’s last season in Sky Blue came in 2018/19 as he farewelled Sydney with the championship win in Perth. From there, he went all over but lost a lot of veneration from Sydney supporters thanks to his subsequent moves. First was Melbourne City, whom he captained the 2020 Grand Final, before a failed move to Xanthi in Greece, followed by a return to Australia with Melbourne Victory. Not content with crossing just one derby divide, he then signed on with Western Sydney Wanderers for 2023/24. Brillante made 79 appearances at Sydney, his highest at any one club.
Central Midfield: Brandon O’Neill
Oh, Brandon O’Neill. Plucked from Perth by Arnold two seasons prior, he came into his own during the 2017/18 season. Consistently stellar and loved by Sydney supporters, he’s very much in the frame for Sydney’s greatest-ever central midfielder.
O’Neill continued at Sydney until 2019/20, transferring to Pohang Steelers in Korea just before the break of the New Year. Similar to Ali Abbas, he didn’t have the best of times at Pohang before a move was agreed to Thailand’s Buriram United where he made just 10 appearances. O’Neill returned home with hometown club Perth Glory who he captained for just a year before yet another move, this time to Newcastle Jets. Now the captain of the Novocastrians, he’s remained very much a favourite for Sydney fans, especially after a muted celebration after scoring against the Sky Blues in his brief stint at Perth.
Right Winger: Adrian Mierzejewski
Mierzejewski’s time in Australia saw him sweep up almost everything on offer – and the cup final was just a demo of what he could do. A Man of the Match performance saw him claim the assist for the matchwinner, as well as utterly controlling the game.
Despite signing a multi-year deal at Sydney, he left following a contentious contractual dispute at the end of his first season. The first player to win the Mark Viduka, Johnny Warren, and Alex Tobin Medals in one season, he gave simply the best single season in the A-League era. Mierzejewski moved to Changchun Yatai in China, before a transfer to fellow Super League side, and the now-defunct, Chongqing Lifan. The rest of his career has been in China, plying his trade with Guangzhou City F.C. (defunct), Shanghai Shenhua, and currently Henan. He’ll go down as a true “streets won’t forget” player, albeit with a slight shroud over his exit from Sydney still. He’s teased returns to Australia, but I can’t see it happening at age 36.
Attacking Midfielder: Alex Brosque (captain)
Alex Brosque. What can you say about him that hasn’t already been said? An astonishing leader highly respected and adored by his peers, and still the most iconic Sydney player of all time, unlikely to be usurped.
There had been noise 2017/18 would be his final year, but he signed on for one more year under new manager Steve Corica which ended up being his best-ever for Sydney. Scoring 12 goals in his final season, he remains the club’s greatest-ever goalscorer with 83 to his name. His appearance record was broken by Rhyan Grant in 2021, but that elusive 83-goal mark will take a long time to break – Adam Le Fondre came close with 73 before departing for Hibernian. Nowadays, “Brosquey” is a club ambassador, Hall of Fame member, and media pundit for Paramount Plus and co-hosts The Global Game on SEN with Simon Hill
Few other players have ever nailed the fan interaction like Brosque – a captain on and off the pitch – someone who continues to look like he’ll be the eventual namesake for a club award.
Left Winger: Milos Ninkovic
Coming off a season as the Johnny Warren Medallist, it seemed like he could simply do no wrong. Finally having found his feet in Australia in 2016/17, he kicked off 2017/18 in a big way by scoring the opener in the cup final. Receiving the ball from Brosque, he shimmied and reset past a defender before calmly slotting away the first goal.
Ninkovic had all but cemented himself in Sydney canon as a legend over the next five years, remaining a fixture of the starting XI and a magician. His powers began to wane in 2021 as injuries began to become more consistent, and his final season at the club coincided with some of the worst football Sydney had played in years. Sydney began plans for a rebuild, and Corica saw Ninkovic as being more of a substitute in a changed system. Unfortunately, from here it becomes murky. It quickly became a public row ending in Ninkovic joining the worst possible team: Western Sydney.
Any legacy from here could’ve been potentially saved – maybe – but the Serbian star didn’t allow that. Consistently badmouthing the club and former coach Corica, there was no return. He should’ve retired a club legend at Sydney where he won two Johnny Warren Medals, but instead, he sits not really (at this point at least) adored by either. As it happens, you would have to wonder what role he could’ve played at Sydney, with the side shifting to a 4-3-3 based on pace, wing-play, and cutting inside.
Still, what could’ve been for Milos and Sydney FC.
Striker: Bobo
Always believe in Bobo. One of the greatest imports in the competition’s history, the Brazilian striker began what would end up being a 36-goal season scoring the cup final winner in the 111th minute off a sumptuous Mierzejewski delivery. He finished the A-League season with 27 goals in what remains a record.
Similar to Adrian, he left the club at the end of the season but always expressed interest in a return to Sydney. His initial transfer out saw him head to Alanyaspor, before brief stints at Hyderabad in India, and six games at Ooeste in Brazil. All up, he scored just six goals in this two-year period outside of Sydney.
Murmurs began in 2020 the Sky Blues wanted him back, and just before the turn of 2021 he indeed returned. Replacing Adam Le Fondre who had been loaned out to India, he was an astute signing for Steve Corica. With 12 goals in 23 matches, he earned an extension for 2021/22 where he put away 7 more goals before retiring as a club favourite. For my money, still the best striker Sydney has ever had for the sheer value of “he just scores”. Tap-in merchant of legend, and currently enjoying a quiet retirement away from football.
Summary
Sydney’s starting XI that day looks more and more impressive with time but also highlights the A-League’s – not recycling – but massive ebbs and flows in player form. Arnold putting that side together was a masterstroke of salary cap management which hasn’t really been outdone in the years since.
The bench on the day included cult heroes Matt Simon, Sebastian Ryall, and David Carney, alongside loanee Anthony Kalik, and a young Thomas Heward-Belle. In a salary-capped league, this is a shockingly good bench.
The last six years since have seen a lot happen, and ahead of Sydney’s Australia Cup Final with Brisbane Roar, I can’t help but feel the cup doesn’t hold the same sway. Regardless, it’s still a major trophy and now (finally) qualifies a club for Asian football.
Perhaps a great, tense, and exciting final will fill it with life again.
All Sides Of The Harbour 