AFTER enduring eight of the toughest months of his life, things are finally looking up for Danny Vukovic, with the Central Coast Mariners goalkeeper signing a new three-year contract yesterday and his lengthy suspension soon to run its course.
Vukovic, 23, has had to deal with the repercussions after he struck the arm of referee Mark Shield during last season's A-League grand final, ultimately resulting in a suspension that meant he missed the Beijing Olympics and the past five A-League matches.
However, the Mariners stuck by their man, with manager Lawrie McKinna - who rates Vukovic as "the best goalkeeper in Australia" - showing his faith in the young stopper by extending his deal until the end of the 2011-12 season.
Vukovic, who would have been out of contract next June, said signing the new deal would allow him to focus on winning his first-team place back, starting with next Sunday's match against Wellington at Bluetongue Stadium.
"It's obviously something you don't want in the back of your mind, trying to get another contract, so it's nice to have that security there … now, all I need to do is concentrate on my football and getting back into the team," he told the Herald yesterday.
"They talked about re-signing me while I was going through the appeals, so it's been going on for a while - but finally last week we agreed to terms. There wasn't any [outside] interest that I knew about, but I always wanted to stay. Even if another Australian club made an offer, I only saw myself playing for the Mariners."
While prospects of a similar age invariably rush to find a European club, Vukovic is more than happy with his lot on the Central Coast. "There's heaps of reasons why I'm so happy here, and they've put a lot of faith in me," he said. "In season one, our first-choice keeper, John Crawley, got injured. They could have easily gone out and bought a more experienced replacement, but they gave me a chance - and I'd like to think I've repaid that.
"We've got a great bunch of boys here. We're all very good mates, and I think it shows in the way that we play. I love the life on the Central Coast, and it was an easy decision."
While the rest of the A-League breaks for the international calendar, Vukovic will play his first match in more than a month on Saturday for the Mariners' youth team. From there, he's looking forward to returning to the big time. "It will be a big relief. When it first happened, I thought it would be so long until I play again," he said. "But in a week and a half, I might be playing my first game. It's come along pretty quickly. It's been tough, but I'm glad it's almost over, and once I play that first game, I can start putting this behind me."
While sports stars are generally reluctant to discuss their indiscretions, Vukovic has taken a refreshingly open and honest approach to the incident. "I knew immediately I was in the wrong, and once you know you've done something wrong and you shy away from it, it's not a good look," he said.
"It takes a bigger man to stand up and say, 'I've done something wrong and I'll play the price for it,' and hopefully I can get some respect that way. I'm sure I lost a lot of respect from Australian football lovers … and I've got to make it up somehow. If I can do it that way, or just by coming back and doing well for my team. That's the way I've got to do it."
Meanwhile, Vukovic's teammate, Pedj Bojic, has signed a new two-year deal, while former Central Coast striker Stewart Petrie has been named as Ian Ferguson's assistant coach at the new North Queensland franchise, due to enter the A-League next season.
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