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The Fiji Times » All Whites hopeful Gianni Stensness plays central role in Mariners rise
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Central Coast midfielder Gianni Stensness challenges Sydney forward Trent Buhagiar during last week’s encounter.
Gianni Stensness is revelling in the Central Coast Mariners’ rise from cellar dwellers to table toppers and hopes his strong form for the surprise A-League leaders will boost his chances of representing New Zealand at the Tokyo Olympics. The under-23 international midfielder has been at the heart of the Mariners’ stunning resurgence and recently earned himself team of the week selection following a man of the match performance in a 2-0 win over reigning champions Sydney FC. The Mariners finished bottom of the table in the previous three editions of the A-League but have defied pre-season predictions to win three of their first four games this season, and will be looking to continue their bright start when they host the winless Wellington Phoenix in Gosford on Sunday.
Mark Birighitti – Central Coast Mariners
Birighitti has proved to be one of the most reliable shot-stoppers in the competition so far and the 29-year-old did not put a foot wrong while shutting out the Premiers to keep his third clean sheet in four games.
While he was only forced to make four saves – the highlight being a late block from substitute Jordi Swibel – Birighitti dominated his penalty area, fending off cross after cross and racing of his line to smother a number of through balls.
Birighitti - Mariners shot-stopper adamant on a clean sheet
Defenders
Ruon Tongyik – Central Coast Mariners
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But the Englishman, who remains actively engaged in trying to sell the club, isn’t giddy with excitement just yet, exclaiming simply: “It’s far too early to say too much but I do think this season will be more competitive across the board.
“People don’t believe this but last season we improved on the previous season and if this season we can do that again we’re going to finish higher up the table.
“Fans want to see an improvement and a couple of early wins builds a bit of confidence and belief.
“It’s going to be a topsy-turvy season, largely because of COVID and all the uncertainty surrounding that.”
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