As Adelaide United prepare to host Melbourne Victory for the 56th league instalment of the Original Rivalry, we take a look at the players who have represented both teams.
The anticipation heading into Saturday night’s encounter is arguably the highest it has been for some time given Victory’s struggles last year.
Adelaide has dominated this fixture of late, recording seven wins in the preceding eight meetings and will hope that trend can continue.
A total of 13 players have worn both jerseys with Nick Ansell the latest player to cross the divide when he signed with the South Australians ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.
Adelaide United to Melbourne Victory
Only one Reds player has moved directly from Adelaide United to Melbourne Victory since the Isuzu UTE A-League’s inception. That was defender Matthew Kemp way back in 2007.
However, two players went on to ply their trade with Victory having initially been on our books – Marcos Flores and Daniel Mullen.
Melbourne Victory to Adelaide United
Transiting in the opposite direction though has been a much more common occurrence. There has been six. Kristian Sarkies and Eugene Galeković both switched allegiances, arriving in 2007 from the Victorian outfit – the latter of which became one of the greatest goalkeepers in the competition’s history.
It would be seven years before the next direct move. James Jeggo reignited his career when he swapped colours in 2014 and later secured a move to Europe. Jesse Makarounas came ahead of the 2016/17 season after three years with Melbourne and James Troisi completed the switch in 2019. Of course, as mentioned Ansell is the most recent to accompany this list.
Over the years, four players have transferred indirectly from Melbourne to Adelaide. With Vince Lia spending a decade at Wellington Phoenix, one could be forgiven for forgetting that the midfielder actually spent the first two seasons of the A-League Men with Victory. Joe Keenan was with the Reds on loan as an injury replacement during the 2010/11 iteration. Mate Dugandzic signed in 2015 following four years at Melbourne City and won the double, while full-back Scott Galloway enjoyed a strong 2018/19 campaign and joined from Victory via Central Coast Mariners and Wellington Phoenix.
Match details:
Saturday, 11 December vs Melbourne Victory
Isuzu UTE A-League 2021/22 – Round 4
Kick-off 7.15pm ACDT
Venue: Coopers Stadium
Broadcast: Network 10
Stream: Paramount+
