How Taggart is breaking the mould for Aussie imports in Asia

Sasa Ognenovski was the best Australian import to Asia since beef and iron ore, an apt metaphor for the man mountain known as ‘The Ox’.

Adam Taggart Source: Supplied

The central defender started a new wave of Australian arrivals into South Korea thanks to his exploits in the country which memorably included captaining Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma to the 2010 AFC Champions League title.

Days later he was named as the Asian Player of the Year, the first, and to date only, Australian male to receive that prize.

It was a significant achievement in an individual sense but there was more for the player who made his professional debut in his mid-twenties and had his first international start in his thirties, a Socceroo summons based entirely on his performances in Asia. Those were heady times.

“Can you tell me a better foreign player than Sasa?’ said Seongnam coach Shin Tae-yong just minutes after winning the continental trophy in Tokyo almost a decade ago. The man who went on to coach Korea at the 2018 World Cup made it clear that this was a rhetorical question.

There had been few signs of that early in 2009 when he arrived from Adelaide United, fresh after the Reds had reached the Champions League final. It took him a little time to settle in the Land of the Morning Calm with the constant stream of speedy and hard-working strikers and widemen but in 2010, he was imperious.

There have been more naturally talented imports into Korea but Ognenovski (known as ‘Sasa’ by all and on the back of his shirt as his surname was hard to pronounce for locals) had something else. He was signed for his aerial prowess and that was impressive but it was the will to win, the leadership, the ability to organise a defence and a team that really made the difference.

“It was always hard to play against my brother Sasa,” Suwon Bluewings striker Dejan Damjanovic, the highest scoring foreign player in the K-league’s 36 year-history, told The World Game.

“He was a great player and he had a winning character. Many clubs after that started bringing Australian defenders but not all of them adapted well as Sasa. In Korea there is a lot of running and not always so many tactics which could make it hard for the big strong guys from Australia.”

Ognenovski managed though and he made those around him better, with his non-stop communication. East Asian players are relatively quiet and rarely shout at each other after a mistake, indeed fans in Korea thought Rio Ferdinand admonishing Park Ji-sung for an error in his early days at Manchester United was a little rude. Sasa's constant talking was backed up by his on-pitch examples and he soon won the respect of peers and fans as well as Asia's biggest team and individual prize.

Korea is nothing if not a country that likes to latch on to the latest trend and this was demonstrated by what happened in the months and years that followed Ognenovski's success. A suddenly-busy Korean agent living in Australia was soon instructed by a number of clubs to find Sasa Mark II.

Within the next two years in came a whole collection of centre-backs in Luke Devere, Eddy Bosnar, Robbie Cornthwaite, Brendan Hamill, James Donachie, Adrian Madaschi and Alex Wilkinson. Big defenders became de rigueur and that has continued to be the case with Adrian Leijer, Erik Paartalu, Matt Jurman, Dylan McGowan all lining up at the back.

Things are slowly starting to change however. When a new Australian star is unveiled, there is no longer a big defender automatically standing there. There are more offensive and creative players heading north.

“These days everyone is trying to find someone who can do something in the offensive area of the pitch because, there is the idea that Korean players are now able to do the defensive part,”Damjanovic said.

“ I hope that clubs will continue bringing Australian players here because in my opinion they are good players, hard workers and great guys.”

The most eye-catching signing is Adam Taggart.

The striker has only just linked up with with Damjanovic at Suwon and he didn't take long to make an impact, scoring just 18 minutes into his debut for his new K-League club.

Former Montenegro international Damjanovic, the second highest goalscorer in Asian Champions League history, is looking forward to a fruitful partnership with the side's new frontman.

“He hasn’t been with us for long and he is a player that I have not seen before but it is clear that he has the quality that we need and has a good sense of goal. I hope that this combination between Montenegro and Australia can be a winning one!”

If Taggart can be half as successful as Sasa Ognenovski then not only could Suwon return to their former glories but a new wave of Australian attackers may be heading north.