Rookies on the Rise: A Look at Recent Senior Football Debuts at the Royals
By Amy Schembri, Author of “Making It…or Not, the real journey told by professional players”
It’s the moment they’ve been working towards since they first began kicking a ball in their backyard as a junior. They’ve imagined themselves scoring in front of an adoring crowd when the ball hits the fence between two grubby jackets that pose as the imaginary goal posts.
They spent many of their weekends watching in admiration as they witnessed what they believe to be superheroes running onto a football pitch with quite the crowd riding the wave of the game with them. While the crowd engages in adrenaline-filled roars when the ball meets the back of the net, they remain silent, in awe of their newfound idols. You see, that’s who they want to be when they grow up.
While it’s not always a given, it’s the dream of many football players to become part of a club’s history. To sign on the dotted line, shake the hand of the senior coach and hear the words, whether said out loud or not, “welcome to the senior team”. It’s not an easy pursuit, and performing consistently is integral to maintaining your spot too, but with dedication, hard work, the right attitude and patience, the chances become a little greater.
In the last two years, Essendon Royals have proudly made that dream a reality for fifteen players who debuted with their Senior Men’s Victorian Premier League 2 team. Fifteen! Being able to offer players the opportunity to showcase their talent in the senior team, is a beautiful moment shared by many. The player, their family, the coaching staff, the members and the supporters.
Julian Guzzardi, just a teenager when he debuted in 2023, was promoted from the Reserves, and is having his best scoring season so far this year.
Like Guzzardi, Diarmaid Harrington, a former Royals junior, remained ready so he could pounce when he was offered his senior debut in 2023 also. Since then, Harrington has been a key member of the team, consistently proving himself valuable as the team’s Centre Back.
Marcus Kotronis moved up the ranks from being a Royals junior. His performance with the U23s was “too good to ignore”, earning him a promotion into the first team.
Guzzardi, Harrington and Kotronis are all young debutants who, within the short space of one to two years, have cemented their spot with the senior team.
Harrington, Guzzardi and Kotronis have all featured in Royals senior matchday squads 20+ times in 2025, with the majority of those apperances for all three being starts.
Then there’s James Tieri. A young full back who signed with the Royals in 2024 and declared at that time that his role is “to defend well, and contribute in attack”, the Royals has provided plenty of opporunity for Tieri to showcase his skillset on a senior stage.
Vince Nicoletti joined the senior team in 2025 having had limited opportunities at a senior level and is described as a “dual threat in defence and attack, possessing brilliant speed and a great engine, which will make him a headache for opposition players”.
Maze Ali, who has scored three goals this season and had a couple of standout performances, joins Nicoletti as a 2025 debutant. He joined in the Royals’ Under-23 set-up before being fast-tracked into the senior team.
In addition, Samuel Ginovski, Gianni Licciardi, Daniel Ameri and Stefan Palombo, all debuted in the 2025 league after putting on a notable performance at this year’s Dockerty Cup.
Ginovski has been a regular on the bench and made several apperances in the league, with Palombo also earning league selection this season.
Goalkeeper Alex Platanas was also named on the senior bench for last Friday’s win over Whittlesea United.
Only days ago, the Lucas duo, eighteen-year-old Lucas Caputo and sixteen-year-old Lucas Germano were granted their first senior men’s appearance, and they did not disappoint. Caputo ignited a roar when he struck the ball in the 87th minute sealing a 5-0 win. What a night. What a debut.
Other talented players who have joined the senior squad for the first time this year include Sabir Shawiz, Connor Malliaris and Orlando Gomes.
“It fills me with a real sense of pride knowing that I have been able to kickstart a player’s senior football career. That decision I made to give a player their debut means that maybe I have played a part in their career, their confidence and perhaps even ignited an array of opportunities for them. It’s the best part of my job.
Football is a result driven and cutthroat industry, so when I’m in the midst of a game focussing my attention on winning, I don’t always realise that I have given a player their debut until a day or so later. That’s when it hits me.
“Knowing we have afforded so many players their senior debut in the last couple of years not only makes me feel proud to have been part of that, but it’s also an achievement from the club’s perspective.
The club has a strong focus and highly intelligent development program in place for its junior players with the intention of providing a clear pathway to the senior team. There’s a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes to give our youngsters the best opportunity possible to form a strong nucleus for the senior team in years to come. Being part of a high functioning club with clear ambitions for its junior players is special and rare.” – Mick Ferrante (Essendon Royals Senior Men’s Head Coach)
While it’s difficult to pinpoint an exact average of senior debuts in the Victorian Premier League, it may seem reasonable to expect two or three senior debuts per team per year, as young players progress and new talent is recruited.
In the last two years, the Royals have awarded fifteen players with the honour, and they feel proud in having done so.
With a strong youth development program in place at the Royals, the growing number of senior debuts continues to look very bright.
“I am often watching the junior youth teams, and if I see that someone has worked hard, done enough and is ready, I think to myself, why not?” – Mick Ferrante
Our Expressions of Interest are now open for 2026! With BVYPL1 football secured for the Royals in 2026, and an ambitious senior program with a proven track record of giving opportunities to young players who put in the work, we particularly encourage players in the U17-U23 age groups to express their interest in joining the club.