The start of a new A-League season is right around the corner and there are few people more up for it than Sam Sutton.
The Kiwi international and the rest of the Glory squad are in Sydney this week, finalising preparations for their opening round clash with Sutton’s former club Wellington.
Pre-season results haven’t been kind to the Glory thus far; 3-1 and 1-0 defeats to Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers respectively this week coming after two losses to Melbourne Victory in Mandurah and Bunbury.
But as last season showed, pre-season results aren’t the be-all and end-all. For Sutton, the final scores haven’t been the main focus.
“It’s about building the connections and working on what you’re trying to bring to fruition during trainings,” he says. “We’ve analysed the game [vs Sydney] and it’s given us a lot of confidence despite the scoreline.”
The Glory will be aiming to avoid a repeat of their slow start to the 2024/25 campaign, characterised by heavy defeats and inadequate fitness levels. This time around, the story feels different.
“[Performance Director] John Lucas came in at the start [of pre-season] and talked about how we wanted to be the fittest team in the league,” says the Kiwi.
“I definitely feel the best I’ve ever felt going into a season. I’d say the team feel the same and we’re ready to go.”
Sutton also spoke positively of manager David Zdrilic, who is under immense pressure to make progress up the table following a rough first year at the helm.
“I think he’s an awesome coach,” says Sutton. “From day one, he’s been super positive, super energetic and he has a style of play he believes in and he’s got all the team believing in”.
The Red Bull philosophy remains front of mind; so it shouldn’t come as a surprise one of the key components of that style has received added attention in Glory’s training.
“A lot of focus has been on getting the press right,” he says. “I think it worked quite well against Sydney, which is good coming into the season. We’ve got a lot of confidence in it”.
Off the training pitch, the players have participated in team-bonding activities to strengthen the chemistry of the playing group, highlighted by a trip to Rottnest Island. For the new recruits like Sutton, it has been a real benefit.
“I was at the Phoenix for six or seven seasons, I’ve only been here a few months now and I feel just as tight with these boys. [The Rottnest trip] was probably the best thing I’ve been a part of in my career in terms of culture-building”.
While the 23-year-old has impressed with his attacking output in pre-season, he is one of the many defensive reinforcements who have been brought in to fix the worst defence in the league. It’s a tall order, but one which he hopes to help completely reverse.
“If you want to win a championship you’ve got to have the best defensive record in the league,” he says. “That’s another goal we’ve set and we’ve been working very hard on it.”
As far as individual goals go, Sutton has a distant eye on North America next year to go along with aspirations for his new club.
“Making the World Cup team is something that’s driving me and bringing Glory back to where they were in the past because it’s a great club,” he says.
Away from football, the left back has settled in nicely in his favourite Australian city. It’s got him in the best frame of mind to get off on the right foot.
“I’m super happy here; winning will just make it even better,” he says “I’m just itching for the season to start so we can kick on.”
