Football South Australia would like to offer congratulations to three of its young former players; Raphael Borges Rodrigues, Kerrin Stokes and Taras Gomulka; after the trio's Melbourne City side claimed the 2021 A-League Championship at the weekend.
All three players were involved in the Football SA programs between the ages of 10 to 15. From there, Kerrin progressed to Croydon FC, while Taras played at MetroStars and then Adelaide United. Raphael moved to Victoria post-program to play with Melbourne City.
Kerrin and Raphael won a National Youth Championship with Football SA in 2015.
Former SA player Ben Garuccio also picked up a medal last weekend. Ben finished his journey with Football SA in 2010 before moving to Adelaide United FC.
The side defeated Sydney FC 3-1 to lift their first-ever A-League title, with all four named on the bench for the Grand Final.
Raphael, son of Adelaide United legend and FSA Technical Director-Girls/Women’s Football Cristiano Dos Santos, made 4 appearances for Melbourne City in the 2020-21 Season, starting once in the campaign.
Raphael, 18, told Football SA how much winning meant to him and his family.
It feels amazing to have won an A-League medal, especially with the group of boys I was training and playing with, we as a club deserved it after all the hard work we put in.
This means a lot to my family. We’ve made a lot of sacrifices to be where we are today. They’ve been by my side the whole time and without their support I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Raphael's spoke about the influence his father (Cristiano Dos Santos) has had on him.
My Dad has always given me advice and supported me and I think he was very proud of me for winning the medal. I just wish he was at the stadium at the final so I could’ve shared the moment with my family.
South Australia's Kerrin Stokes also made 4 appearances in the campaign, which included 3 starts.
Kerrin told Football SA how honoured he is to receive a medal and gives thanks to his coaching peers in South Australia:
Becoming an A-League champion is amazing. From going to games as a kid and being a fan only a couple years ago to being apart of this squad this year is very humbling. It was an honour to receive a medal on the Grand Final night and I'm very grateful to be apart of this talented group of players.
The likes of Richie Alagich, Carl Veart & Elvis Markov were instrumental for me at a young age and I learnt a lot from them. I'm also very grateful to Ange Costanzo who took me under his wing and taught me a lot. I've still got lots to learn, but last weekend was such a special moment.
Former MetroStars player Taras Gomulka played the most games out of the trio, with 8 appearances, including 3 starts for the Champions.
Taras said:
To become an A-League Champion is something that I’ll never forget, from a young age you always dream of winning grand finals, going to A-League games with your parents and wishing that one day that could be you out there, it was a dream that became reality.
I’m very honoured to have received a medal, being involved with the squad is an honour, the bond between all us boys is what makes it so special
The boys, who are now role models for the next generation of players in South Australia, touched upon how the program helped shape them and gave some advice on the playing group coming through.
Raphael added.
I think I’ve come a long way from when I was playing in the program. If they (the NTC players) work hard and keep focused they could be in the same position in a few years or even better.
Taras added:
I'm still very young myself, but I hope players coming thru now, believe in themselves that they can achieve their dreams just like we have, previous coaches that I’ve had, I can not thank enough for how much they have helped and developed me as a player and person.