While much of the plaudits has gone towards their incredible league-best attacking form, Central Coast’s defence stood up when it had to.
And they have Brian Kaltak – and his desperate defending – to thank for it, who again stood up with a man-of-the-match performance in their 3-0 F3 Derby win over Newcastle Jets on Wednesday.
Kaltak, who polled three votes in the Alex Tobin Medal in their 2-1 win over Sydney FC on the weekend, was sensational – marshalling things brilliantly alongside centre-back partner Dan Hall (who also secured a vote for his performance).
For the first time in four games, the Mariners kept a clean sheet, largely due to an all-important block from the 29-year-old defender.
With the game still delicately poised at 1-0, Kaltak threw himself in-front of a goal-bound strike from Jets striker Beka Mikeltadze to deny an almost certain equaliser from the Georgian.
His block was straight from the box office, as the star of Netflix documentary series: ‘Captains’ did the incredible to bravely keep the ball out.
“I’m okay, I’m fine,” Kaltak said with a smile on his face, when asked if he was all good after the block on Paramount+.
“I just faked it and I thought the ref would do something but yeah, I’m okay!”
At 29, Kaltak is one of the great stories of the season thus far, signing at the start of the season on an injury-replacement contract after striker Moresche went down hurt.
Kaltak trialled with Wellington Phoenix as a youngster between June 2011 and January 2012, but was unable to secure a contract.
However, after over years of plying his trade all through Oceania and most notably, Auckland City in New Zealand, he was given a second chance at making it in the A-League Men’s – a trial with the Mariners in April.
Unfortunately, his trial was cut short due to injury, but Montgomery kept tabs on the Vanuatu international and was keen for him to come back.
On this occasion, it was third time the charm and Kaltak hasn’t looked back.
The centre-back, who is also only the second Ni-Vanuatu player to ply his trade in the Isuzu UTE A-League after former Gold Coast United and Newcastle Jets midfielder Mitch Cooper, has more than made the most of his opportunity in the competition.
Since arriving at the Mariners, he has started in seven of their eight games this season, only missing one – a 2-1 loss to the Jets – due to suspension.
Other than that, he’s barely put a foot wrong as Kaltak has become a mainstay in the heart of Central Coast’s backline.
But football fans may already be aware of Kaltak’s feats, as Netflix’s cameras documented his journey – along with seven others – throughout their respective 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup qualification campaigns as captain of their national team.
“I’m very proud to be honest,” Kaltak said about representing his country.
“With the ongoing documentary and everything that’s happened to me during my journey and with the Mariners. I got a chance… in the A-League.
“Yeah, I’m really proud.”
Wednesday evening’s win over the Jets was the second straight game Kaltak and Hall had played together in the heart of defence, with the former coming in for Nectar Triantis on the weekend after returning from his one-game ban.
Thus far, it’s a partnership that has barely been troubled and the clean sheet against the Jets was reflection of how the duo have begun to mesh.
“We know that… we needed a win, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy but we kept banging on about in the changing room that if we can keep a clean sheet… it turned out to be what we wanted and we got the three points,” Kaltak said.
“The most important thing is to keep the clean sheet.
“Last game we had some rotation at the back but it’s not a big difference. We understand each other at the back, but it was good.”
