Entries Tagged 'Daniel Piorkowski' ↓

Daniel Piorkowski, one of the few remaining inaugural Melbourne Victory players, will leave the club in the hope of furthering his career in Europe.

“I’ve had a great time at Victory, the coaching staff and everyone here has been really good to me, especially Ernie for giving me an opportunity at the start, which I really appreciate.

“It’s time to move on, have a crack overseas and fulfil a dream that’s been strong for me, so we’ll see what works out.

“I want to explore playing in Europe and not die wondering.

“From finishing second last in the first season to winning both titles in the second season was an awesome experience and something I’ll never forget and the memories that went along with that were fantastic.”

Source: MelbourneVictory.com.au

Piorkowski’s time at Melbourne has been a frustrating one. In both of the last two seasons, he picked up an injury early on and was sidelined for the remainder of the season. A shame, because Piorkowski’s been one of the more solid defenders we’ve had.

Piorkowski’s still on the roster for the Chonburi FC match next week. Here’s hoping he gets a friendly goodbye from the Victory faithful.

Daniel Piorkowski has not agreed to the contract offered him by the Melbourne Victory. He is set to move on once his contract expires in July.

The news was reported in The Age today, alongside a report about Milicevic leaving.

Piorkowski’s departure isn’t all that surprising, given his constant battle with injury over the past two season. According to Gary Cole, Piorkowski turned down the club’s contract offer “and that will be the end of it”. There is no mention of what the contract offer was, but it’s possible that the Victory offered Piorkowski a pay-cut.

It’s a shame to see Piorkowski go, but I think Melbourne has the players to cover his loss in defence. After all, the club had to do without him for most of the past two seasons.

The Gold Coast Galaxy appear likely to pursue Piorkowski.

Daniel Piorkowski could have another season turn purple. The Melbourne Victory defender received a bad blow to his shoulder on Friday against the Queensland Roar.

According to The Age, much depends on whether Piorkowski needs surgery. If he does, the expected recovery time is 12 weeks.

That would make Piorkowski the Victory’s most unlucky player for a second year running. Last year, he picked up a hamstring injury in round 13 and was forced to watch Melbourne win the Premiership and Grand Final from the sidelines.

With Adrian Leijer’s departure to Fulham, the door has opened for Daniel Piorkowski to become a regular starter.

Signed by the Melbourne Victory in 2005, it was a while before Piorkowski began to be chosen regularly by coach Ernie Merrick. His debut for the Victory did not come till the 5th round clash with Queensland, after which he started another 9 games. His form was impressive enough to warrant 13 consecutive starts with the team in 2006, before an injury in round 13 ended his season. Now, with a few matches under his belt, he is a likely contender for Merrick’s preferred 11.

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