Words: Michael Flynn
Image: Keith Eigeland/Football Queensland

Olympic FC coach Jim Bellas says his club’s season can be chalked up as a success despite not winning any silverware.

The Brisbane-based club’s season came to an end on Tuesday night with a 3-1 loss against Hyundai A-League club Central Coast Mariners in the Westfield FFA Cup Round of 16.

However, despite failing to replicate A stand-out 2013 campaign, that saw Olympic win the inaugural PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland Premiership and Grand Final, Bellas was adamant his side can remain proud of their achievements in 2014.

Olympic finished the PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland season in third place before losing the Grand Final 3-2 to Palm Beach Sharks at Mallawa Complex last Friday night.

Olympic also tasted defeat in the Canale Travel Cup Final against crosstown rivals Brisbane Strikers in August, and the pre-season Silver Boot tournament against community club hosts Lions FC.

“We set out every year to come in the top four. We made three Grand Finals – the Silver Boot, the Canale Cup and the Grand Final of the regular season,” Bellas explained.

“We lost them all, but if you ask me if it was a successful season – I think it was.”

“We also reached the final 16 of the FFA Cup and when you look back at it I think it was a good season for us.”

Bellas said the challenge now for the club next year was continuing to development talent from within the club to maintain the momentum in the first two seasons of the competition.

“There’s a lot of good boys at the club and they are probably a year too young at the moment,” Bellas explained.

“We’re trying to give them experience on the bench. I gave Dylan (Wenzell-Halls) and Mustafa (Jafari) a smell of the first team.”

“I feel in the next few years we can definitely maintain where we are.”

Bellas admitted there will be some departures from this season’s squad and that he will spend the off-season looking to refine the team’s make-up.

Star midfielder Terry Hughes will be heading to Sydney, while 2013 PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland Most Valuable Player award winner Tim Smits has indicated he will return to community football after struggling with a recurrent back injury.

“There are a lot of players out there that want to come to Olympic at the moment and I’m discussing it with them,” Bellas said.

“All the players that are here at the moment want to stay apart, so we will strengthen up next year and add a few more young kids.”

“I think we will be very strong next year,” Bellas concluded.