Mens 2 Final Feature: A turn for the better

Luke Turnbull seems too young to have experienced a career crossroad.

But the 21-year-old was forced to make a significant decision 12 months ago that has affected his plight greatly.

The return of Carlos Saliadarre into the Blacktown Spartans fold limited Turnbull’s chances of first team football towards the back half of last year’s IGA NPL Mens 1 season.

He was faced with the ultimatum of warming the bench in the state’s top flight or taking a step down to the Mens 2. Turnbull chose the latter and quickly found the stigma often surrounding the second tier competition is misguided.

After jumping aboard Franco Cosentino’s project at Parramatta FC, the decision was quickly vindicated. First by sealing the Premiership with two rounds to spare. Then by sealing the club championship as Parramatta became eligible to return to Mens 1 in 2015.

And most recently in a whirlwind 24 hours that saw the burgeoning glovesman pick up the goalkeeper of the year gong before keeping a cleansheet to set up a grand final clash against Macarthur. 

"We fought well and we deserve to be there, we’ve been the in-form team of the year," Turnbull said. "It’s been an ideal season, pretty much a fantasy. I’ve had to pinch myself a few times so it’s been excellent.

"It was a big decision because I was with Spartans and Blacktown City the year before so it was a big decision to drop down and play in this competition but the team that Cossie put together was a good team.

"I believe it was probably one of the best football decisions I’ve made in my life. Cossie (coach Franco Cosentino) had a lot of confidence in me and so did the boys. There were a lot of new players in the team and I believe he brought the team together really well."

Turnbull was in blistering form against Northern Tigers in the preliminary final, making a number of crucial saves from point blank range to keep his side’s season alive.

And he is well aware he will need to replicate that performance against Macarthur’s potent attack, aided by the motivation of gaining revenge against the team that snapped the Eagles’ 17-game unbeaten streak.

"It’s big motivation, we talked about it during the week," he added. "Going 17 games undefeated and losing in a semi-final where we didn’t play poorly. It was a big drive for us and I think we played well against Northern Tigers.

"We’re more prepared for them this week than last time. You learn more from your losses than your wins and we’ve done that. The boys will be pushing to beat Macarthur. It’s been us two all year so it was justified to have the two teams in the grand final."

Turnbull has become accustomed to having the domineering vocals of captain Patrick Gatt in front of him all season, but has spent the last two games adjusting to a new partnership in the absence of Gatt.

But he believes Robert Tribbia and Josh Symons have stepped up to the plate in impressive fashion, a testament to Parramatta’s depth.

"Not having Gatty there does take away a lot. He’s probably kept the squad together with his leadership and the way he presents himself. He’s always training the hardest and doing the extras when he can.

"Not having him there is a big blow but over the last two week Josh Symons and Robert Tribbia have both stepped up and they’re good enough to do the job.

"There is no lack of confidence there. It would be unbelievable to have Gatty there but that’s the best thing about the team, we have a lot of depth."

Some may say Turnbull’s professional career took a slight detour in 2014, but the talented prospect wouldn’t have it any other way.

– By Mitchell Grima