Since their establishment in 1956, Canberra Olympic has been one of the NPL1’s most successful football clubs. In recent years their accomplishments have been unmatched, with previous head coach Frank Cachia winning nine trophies between the 2014 and 2019 seasons. Canberra Olympic has since undergone significant change with a top tier player taking over the role as head coach and a new, young playing group rising through the ranks.

The side finished in 6th place in 2020 and this season currently sits in 7^th pace with five wins, three draws and nine losses to their name.

The squad has shown great promise despite some disappointing results. Some standout players this year have been the striker partnership of James Crawford and Aisosa Ihegie. Scoring 19 goals between them this season, they are both contenders for this year's Golden Boot Award.

This new generation of Canberra Olympic is led by Robbie Cattanach, one of Cachia’s former star players. Inheriting a team after a big-name departure was always going to be a tough task for Cattanach but he believes the young group of players can achieve ‘big things’ in the future if they stay together.

Thomas Hoogendoorn caught up with Cattanach to chat about how he’s enjoyed the season so far & what he hopes to see from the squad in the future.

 

Q – Can you tell us what the transition from player to coach like? Was it what you expected?

Robbie Cattanach (RC) It wasn’t too bad for me as it happened over a few seasons, so it felt like a bit of a gap in between, but coaching has a bit more to it than you see as a player. In the few seasons I have been coaching I have had some really good people to help me in Frank Cachia, Njegosh Popavich, Victor Yanes and Alex Castro. The club has only been happy to help me when they can too. Steve Ujdur as the Technical Director has been very supportive as well and is really good at identifying younger players coming through for me to have a look at.

 

Q - Did you feel any pressure after taking over Frank Cachia's position, particularly given his strong record with the club?

(RC) There is always pressure in senior football so I was comfortable with it, but to be honest, the club has been very supportive and it didn’t feel like there was a heap of pressure on me. Maybe the Covid shut down and the shortened season last year helped relieve the pressure too.

 

Q - This is quite a young Olympic squad; how would you compare this side to previous years?

(RC) I don’t think we can compare them for exactly that reason. It's a young squad, but they are a good group of young players who maybe don’t feel comfortable at this level yet. They have a lot of potential and will hopefully grow into the role. We have a few established players at the club, who have been playing first grade for a few years now such as Oliver Wiederkehr, Nick Faust, Sosa Ihegie, Daniel Linstead and Alex Connell. Unfortunately, Alex was injured in the first game of the year and won’t return this season, but he still does some work with the young keepers.

 

Q - How would you assess your performance thus far? Is it what you expected?

(RC) It has been a challenging season for the squad with a number of long-term injuries for key players, but we have leaned on young players and they have represented the club well. I think I have done well given the circumstances, but I have certainly made mistakes along the way... but don’t tell the players that.

I always expected this team to do well, because I knew the players I have were going to give everything.

 

Q - What are your goals for this team?

(RC) Honestly, my goal at the start of the year was to compete for a top 4 spot, but more importantly lay a foundation for the club for the next few years. I think this core group of players can achieve big things if they stay together and the club can add one or two more experienced players. The young players will keep improving and be strong players in this league if given some time.