Thomas out to cement Victory No.1 spot

In only his 16th A-League game, Lawrence Thomas won a grand final with Melbourne Victory, but his 17th match could be against his championship team-mates, as the out-of-contract goalkeeper seeks assurances on his future role at the club.

Lawrence Thomas

Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas kept a clean sheet in the club's 2015 A-League grand final win. (Getty) Source: Getty Images Asia Pacific

Thomas is one of a number of Victory champions without a deal for next season, including striker Archie Thompson, fellow gloveman Nathan Coe and defender Daniel Georgievski.

Thomas, 23, has performed admirably in the last month for Victory after first-choice goalkeeper Coe was sidelined with a season-ending back injury.

With the help of a strong defence, Thomas conceded just three times in Victory's final six matches of the season, including the semi-final and grand final.

He suggested on Monday that unless he's given the No.1 shirt as the club's senior goalkeeper, it could be time to leave.

"Me at my age now I think I need to be playing," Thomas said.

"If there's an opportunity to play I'd love to stay.

"I'm sure I'll sit down with the club soon and I hope it goes well.

"We'll see."

Thomas revealed that he battled nerves leading into the grand final but a strong semi-final performance gave him confidence.

"It was a great night but a pretty quiet one for me, the boys were brilliant," he said.

"I was playing with a strong team in front of me, they kept any chances limited.

One of those defenders was Georgievski, who said the 3-0 grand final success was a fair result.

"We set our goals from the start and it went perfectly," he said.

"We showed our dominance in this league this season so we want to continue it."

Georgievski is determined to add to his one A-League campaign and sign up for another season.

"I wouldn't like to leave it like that, I want to continue on," he said.

"I'm happy here.

"But when it comes to that, it's all business.

"Emotions aside, we've got to sit down with Musky (coach Kevin Muscat) and we'll see what happens, hopefully it's a positive negotiation."

Veteran striker Thompson, who was brought on as a substitute in the match's dying minutes, repeated his assessment that his future was up to Muscat.

"The decision's out of my hands," he said.

"I want to play football, whether it be for West Point Soccer Club at Point Cook or Melbourne Victory or anyone that wants to have me."

"We're going to enjoy this moment and if this opportunity doesn't transpire there will be other opportunities."


Share
Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Dakar Rally, World Athletics / ISU Championships (and more) via SBS On Demand – your free live streaming and catch-up service. Read more about Sport
Have a story or comment? Contact Us

Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Dakar Rally, World Athletics / ISU Championships (and more) via SBS On Demand – your free live streaming and catch-up service.
Watch nowOn Demand
Follow SBS Sport
3 min read
Published 18 May 2015 5:38pm

Share this with family and friends