Nikola "Nik" Mrdja (born 30 November 1978) is an Australian former

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player, who played as a striker. Mrdja had a career spanning several

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...

(NSL) and

A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...

clubs from 1998 to 2011, as well as a brief spell in Sweden with

AIK AIK Fotboll (), more commonly known simply as AIK (), an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben (meaning ''the public'' or ''general sports club''), is a Swedish football club competing in Allsvenskan, the top flight of Swedish football. The ...

in 2004. Mrdja made one appearance for

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, in a friendly against

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

in 2007.

Club career

Early years

In October 1998, Mrdja signed for

Canberra Cosmos Canberra Cosmos Football Club was an Australian soccer club based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. It participated in the National Soccer League from the 1995/96 season until the end of the 2000/01 season, after which it folded, primar ...

after travelling from Perth to Canberra to trial at his own expense. In late November 1998, Mrdja was one of five players released by the club. In April 2000, Mrdja signed for

Perth SC Perth Soccer Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in West Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1987 as the result of a merger between three local sides, though its pre-merger history is regarded to be that of Perth ...

. Mrdja trialled for Perth Glory in January 2001, signing soon after. Mrdja scored a

golden goal The golden goal or golden point is a rule used in association football, lacrosse, field hockey, and ice hockey to decide the winner of a match (typically a knock-out match) in which scores are equal at the end of normal time. It is a type of sud ...

for

Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues. Founded in 19 ...

in the final of the

2003–04 National Soccer League The 2003–04 National Soccer League season was the 28th and final season of the National Soccer League in Australia. Perth Glory were crowned both premiers and champions after winning both the league and grand final. Overview The season w ...

against

Parramatta Power Parramatta Power Soccer Club were a professional association football club who were based in the Western Sydney city of Parramatta. They played in the National Soccer League from season 1999-00 until the league folded in 2004. The Power were ...

in the last match of the NSL.

Central Coast Mariners

In December 2004, Mrdja signed with

Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Ma ...

to play in the newly formed

. In the Mariners first competitive fixture, an

F3 Derby The F3 Derby is an association football rivalry between Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets. It is the longest standing derby in the A-League Men. The rivalry originated due to the team's relative geographical proximity, with the Mariners ...

against the

Newcastle Jets Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from The Australia ...

in qualification for the

2005 OFC Club Championship The 2005 OFC Club Championship was the 4th edition of the top-level Oceanic club football tournament organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and the 1st since 2001. The tournament was held in Papeete, Tahiti. The preliminary rounds ...

, Mrdja broke opposing defender

Andrew Durante Andrew James Durante (born 3 May 1982 in Sydney, New South Wales) is a retired New Zealand international footballer. He is currently the Player Welfare and Development Manager at Western United while also working as a Senior Academy Assistant ...

's leg with a tackle late in

extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...

. The incident subsequently gained prominence as a sparking point for the clubs' rivalry. On the field, Mrdja's early form for the Mariners was strong. In the club's next game against

Adelaide United Adelaide United Football Club is a professional Association Football, soccer club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club participates in the A-League Men under North American professional sports league organization#Systems ar ...

, Mrdja scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

, sealing progress to the qualification final. He scored another hat-trick in a

2005 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup The 2005 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup was played in the lead up to the inaugural ( 2005-06) A-League season. It was won by the Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional association f ...

win over

Queensland Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is an Australian professional association football, soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland and has won the domestic title on three occasions, as well as holding the longest unbeaten record ...

. However, soon after Mrdja suffered a knee injury causing him to miss the entire

2005–06 A-League The 2005–06 A-League was the 29th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the inaugural season of the A-League. After over 12 months without a national professional club competition since the close of the 2003–04 National Soccer L ...

season, eventually returning early in the 2006–07 season. His first goal in the A-League came from a

direct free kick A free kick is a method of restarting play in association football. It is awarded after an infringement of the laws by the opposing team. Direct and indirect free kicks Free kicks may be either direct or indirect, distinguished as follows: ...

in a win over

New Zealand Knights New Zealand Knights Football Club (formed from the Football Kingz Football Club in 2004) were the only professional association football club in New Zealand before they became defunct. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, they played in the A-League ...

on 19 November 2006. Mrdja's knee injury continued to be an issue, and saw him miss much of the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons. It is during his time at the Mariners that Mrdja discovered his love for disco biscuits.

Melbourne Victory

In February 2010, with the Mariners out of contention for the

2009–10 A-League The 2009–10 A-League was the 33rd season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the fifth season of the A-League competition since its establishment in 2004. The season marked the addition of two new teams from Queensland. Gold Coast United F ...

finals, Mrdja was released by the Mariners and signed a short-term deal with

Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory e ...

to play in the final rounds of the A-League and in the

2010 AFC Champions League The 2010 AFC Champions League was the 29th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 8th under the current AFC Champions League title. The final was held at the National ...

, as an injury replacement for

Billy Celeski Blagoja "Billy" Celeski (born 14 July 1985) is a retired Macedonian-born Australian footballer. He last played as a midfielder for Ventforet Kofu in the J1 League in 2016. Club career Celeski signed for Perth Glory for the 2005–06 A-League ...

. At the same time, he signed a deal to play for the Mariners again in the 2010–11 season. The unusual nature of the move, despite being valid within the rules, created significant controversy, given its lateness in the season and the ban on direct

loans In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that de ...

between A-League clubs. The issue, and subsequent public controversy, prompted a review of the A-League's transfer rules by

Football Federation Australia Football Australia is the governing body of soccer, futsal, and beach soccer within Australia, headquartered in Sydney. Although the first governing body of the sport was founded in 1911, Football Australia in its current form was only esta ...

. Mrdja made his debut for the Victory on 5 February 2010, coming on as a halftime substitute in a win over

North Queensland Fury Northern Fury Football Club was an Australian professional soccer club based in Townsville, Queensland. The club was founded in 2008 and competed in the A-League under the name North Queensland Fury. On 1 March 2011, the club was removed from t ...

, in the second-last round of the

regular season. He scored his first goal for the club two weeks later, in a win in the first leg of the major semifinal against

Sydney FC Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was fo ...

, before being

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

later in the match for elbowing

Shannon Cole Shannon Cole (born 4 August 1984) is a former professional footballer turned coach. Club career Cole's early football career saw a series of stints with NSW state league clubs, in particular APIA Leichhardt, Dulwich Hill, Rockdale City Suns an ...

. Mrdja received a two-game suspension for the incident, which eventually saw him miss the

2010 A-League Grand Final The 2010 A-League Grand Final took place at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia on 20 March 2010. It was the final match in the A-League 2009–10 season, and was played between premiers Sydney FC and runners-up Melbourne Victory. Sydney FC ...

. Mrdja retired from professional football at the end of the 2010–11 season.

International career

Mrdja was called up to the Australian national team for the first time in September 2007 for a friendly against

, after an injury ruled out

Scott McDonald Scott Douglas McDonald (born 21 August 1983) is an Australian former professional footballer and is the current head coach for National Premier Leagues club Gold Coast Knights. Originally a striker, McDonald could also play as an attacking mid ...

and following Mrdja's good form in the A-League. In the game, at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...

, Mrdja made his debut as a substitute in the 82nd minute, coming on for

Joshua Kennedy Joshua Blake Kennedy (born 20 August 1982) is an Australian former professional footballer who played as a striker for the Australia national soccer team. Kennedy is known by Australian fans as "Jesus" due to his apparent resemblance to tradi ...

in a 1–0 defeat.

Honours

Club

;

Championship: 2002–03, 2003–04 *

Premiership: 2001–02, 2003–04 ;

Premiership: 2006–07 *

A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup The A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup competition was an annual soccer tournament held for all A-League clubs in July and August in the lead up to the start of the A-League season. The competition featured a group stage and a knockout stage. Co ...

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

References

External links

Oz Football profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mrdja, Nik 1978 births Living people Soccer players from Perth, Western Australia Australian people of Serbian descent Association football forwards Australian soccer players Perth Glory FC players AIK Fotboll players Central Coast Mariners FC players Melbourne Victory FC players Australia international soccer players A-League Men players Allsvenskan players National Soccer League (Australia) players Australian expatriate soccer players Australian expatriate sportspeople in Sweden Expatriate footballers in Sweden