Rolston itching for more success
For all the talk of the expanded PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s 2 competition, with the addition of Sydney FC, Western Sydney Wanderers and the relegation of Marconi creating so much interest, there remains a constant to the league which many will do well not to overlook.
Northern Tigers, winners of three Grand Finals since 2010 and the current champions, and Premiership winners in 2012, are looking forward to another strong year, captained once more by defender Michael Rolston.
Rolston, again a mainstay at the heart of the Tigers’ defence for what will be his eighth year at the club, is confident that the Tigers will be challenging yet again.
“Even though we lost a few from last year, we have recruited well and we still kept the core from last season. It will be a difficult year though. There is obviously a lot of quality about and it is hard to know what to expect at this stage, but Bankstown City will be ones to watch out for once more and the Western Sydney Wanderers had a great start last weekend”.
The Tigers had their own great start, claiming a 2-0 win over North Shore Mariners, and having a clean sweep of results across all grades. While this week’s matches against Marconi may not yield the same outcome, it is a match up which will be a sign of how far the Tigers have come.
“I think the distance between the traditional clubs and the newer ones are flattening, and the gap is not as big as it used to be. Marconi will be a good test”
And Rolston will come up against a former team mate in Sean Rooney.
“We used to be team mates back in the 16s and obviously he went on to bigger and better things. We had a chat a couple of weeks ago [at the NPL photo shoot] and it is a game we’re looking forward to”.
Rolston, along with current team mates Paul Davies and Steven Baveas, played in all three of those winning Grand Finals and while some former team mates have made the move up a division, a transfer for Rolston to a PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s club has never really been countenanced.
“I have considered it and it has been mentioned over the years, but Northern Tigers have treated me well and there is a great culture at the club, and that is what I value most. Loyalty is important to me and we have stuck through the good and the bad”.
“But to play in PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s is definitely the objective and hopefully it will be with the Tigers”.
A new ground for Northern Tigers, under construction at North Turramurra might just be the ticket to help push the club along to that target off the field, but with dedicated club men like Michael Rolston, Northern Tigers clearly have the attributes to reach that target on the field as well.
-By Peter Rowney
