Long before Mitch Duke grabbed the attention of the football world in Qatar, his earliest supporters at his first local club knew he was destined for big things.
The Western Sydney Wanderers striker, who scored the only goal of the game against Tunisia to give the Socceroos their first World Cup victory in 12 years and a chance to qualify for the last 16, joined the Parramatta Eagles in 2004, aged 13.
Duke, who grew up in Liverpool, quickly ascended to the club’s top team, supported by former first-grade coach Brian Dene and manager George Ellul. While they couldn’t travel to Qatar for the make-or-break clash against Denmark on Thursday morning (AEDT), they’ll be waking up early to cheer him on from Australia.
Duke “was one that stood out”, said Dene, who coached the striker before he moved to the Central Coast Mariners, and moved swiftly to promote him to the Eagles first grade side. “He was quite quick, and technically very good.”
Eagles club manager Osman Jebara will never forget the moment he brought Duke up to the office under the small South Granville stadium to tell him the news of his promotion.
“I called him up to the office and I said, ‘Mitch you’re part of Brian’s first grade and 20s squad’,” Jebara recalled. “He was rapt when I told him. His first contract was $60 [for petrol to travel by car to the stadium]. He had this smile on his face.
Mitch Duke, circled, was at the Parramatta Eagles from 2005 to 2011.Credit:Parramatta Eagles
“I reminded him [about it] when he returned from Japan, and he said, ‘Osman, I still remember that day’.”
Duke quickly made his mark as an “integral part” of the side, helping them achieve promotion to NSW’s League One. The striker scored a hat-trick in one of his first games, and his athleticism, technical ability and tenacity made him a firm favourite with the club’s coaches and fans alike.
“I used to drive home and I’d see him in the park training on his own and really putting the effort in,” Jebara said. “This is extra work that you do. You can’t just rely on your normal training.”
Osman Jebara, George Ellul and Brian Dene of the Parramatta Eagles will cheer on Socceroos star Mitch Duke as he takes to the field on Thursday morning.Credit:Wolter Peeters
Dene said Duke, who now plies his trade in Japan, had always been supported by good mentors on his journey to the top.
“He also had some mentors on the way to keep his head screwed on,” Dene said. “You need people away from football or within football that are within the club because you’re going to have ups and downs as a player. But he was on a good trajectory then.”
“There’s a heap of Mitch Dukes out there,” said Dene. “Give them the opportunity and they work hard, which he’s done, he’s made a good living out of football.”
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