By Nick Creely
Brandon Barnes may just be the finest and most damaging striker in Victoria.
The numbers that the Dandenong Thunder superstar continues to churn out defy belief and raise questions of just how far he could go.
The 24-year-old Englishman only joined the Thunder last year, but already has 65 goals to his name, an average of nearly two a match.
His best hauls include an extraordinary eight-goal effort against Nunawading last year, something that made national headlines and is a current NPL Victoria record.
As a youngster, the powerful centre-forward spent time in Bristol City, Swindon Town and Southampton as part of their academies, giving him a taste of life as a professional footballer.
And Barnes is motivated on getting his chance at the next level and will never give up, and said that the only way to raise heads of A-League recruiters is to keep scoring goals and improving his overall game.
“When I got my 50th goal at the club in a pretty short of amount of time, it was actually quite overwhelming – hopefully I can keep fighting and back that up and maybe one day something might come my way,” he said.
“Hopefully, a few A-League clubs can look at me and think I have a lot of potential.
“Playing in Australia, anyone’s aim is to get to the A-League, the top-flight of Australian football, and I’ve got my eye on it and waiting for the chance, I guess.
“I just need to work a bit harder outside of football, I think, getting that extra bit fitter and, hopefully, a club could give me a go, and whenever they would be willing to call I’ll be ready.”
Just last week, Barnes’ life changed forever in a weekend he described as the greatest of his life.
Only a day after scoring the winning goal for the Thunder, Barnes welcomed his first child into the world.
“I was just over the moon and it has been really well received – we were at Brunswick the day before (22 April) and we got up 1-0 when I scored in the 70th minute, and the baby was born on the Sunday (23 April).
“It was the best weekend all-round, and the best gift anyone could have asked for.”
On-field, the Thunder is building steadily into the season and sits comfortably inside the top four after Giuseppe Anastasi suddenly quit as coach due to personal reasons prior to the start of the season.
The reigning Golden-Boot winner admitted that the departure rocked the club initially and put himself behind personally, but praised the club for bouncing back quickly under the replacement coach Gianfranco Impellizzeri.
“There was obviously a bit of a hiccup with the coach before the season which probably put us a few weeks behind as a team, but then Gianfranco came in and we are now on the same page and ready to go every weekend,” he said.
“It took us a while to gel as a team, for sure.
“We started the season slowly and I had a little injury so was a little bit behind – but I got back on track and on the same fitness level as the other boys.”
With rumours rife that the Dandenong-Casey area are a legitimate chance of obtaining an A-League licence, Barnes welcomed the idea and said that the region is the best fit for the expansion of the competition.
“There have obviously been the rumours of having another A-League side, and Dandenong could well be the one,” he said.
“If they tick all the criteria and get that licence, I’ll be banging on their door and try and be a part of it.
“Around this area, football is constantly getting bigger and bigger – that’s why I reckon the A-League licence could sway towards this area, just because of how many clubs are in the area – it would bring a lot of youth and a lot positive things to the area.”
