From the Pitch to the Wild: Liam Boland's Unforgettable Journey
Thu, Sep 28.23
Liam Boland's football journey has been nothing short of incredible. From his stints in Portugal and Brazil to his nearly decade-long career in the NPLM Victoria, spanning four different clubs, his presence has graced our local league with a touch of class.
His Victoria swansong was marked by a stunning goal in Avondale's Grand Final victory, which brought his tally to an immense 104 goals in 189 matches. Such a prolific record begs the question of why he never received more opportunities in the A-League.
Reflecting on that crucial goal, Boland shared his thoughts: "I’m really pleased I got up for it (the Grand Final) and how it all ended. In the 90th minute of the last game of the season my calf went. I thought oh no, I could be done for the finals here. For us though finishing top two we got that week off after the season, so that really saved me. I came back for the semi-final which we won, coming off the bench, and felt I was good to go for the Grand Final.
Describing the goal, he reflected, "I couldn’t have hit it better, to be honest. I reckon everyone in the ground thought I was going to dink him because of my first touch, and I’ve done that dink a few times in my career now, I’m always keen to give it a crack. I think that helped me because the centre-back dropped and allowed me to take two touches and as soon as I hit it I ran off in celebration. I knew it wasn’t getting saved. A really nice way to end my Victorian career."
Boland's football journey took an interesting turn when, at just 16 years old, he honed his skills in Brazil. He recalled, "As a kid, I was playing at Coerver, and I got an opportunity to go to Portugal through Football NSW. We got over there and got to play Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, Boavista, and a few others. I scored against Benfica with one of the last kicks of the game. I reckon if I had an agent back then, I would have got signed over there. That’s a bit of a regret of mine, to be honest."
"From that," he continued, "I got an opportunity to head to Brazil to play at Cruzeiro. I was about to sign a contract for them, but I wasn’t playing as much as I liked, so a chance actually came up with their main rivals, Atletico Mineiro, which I ended up taking."
During his time in Brazil, Boland found himself in a defensive midfield role, an experience that significantly enhanced his technical skills, despite his admission that his tackling was “shithouse”. His journey in Brazil reached a pinnacle when his team made it to the final of the State Cup, with a showdown against his ex-team, Cruzeiro, on the horizon.
However, fate had a different plan for Boland. He recalled a fateful incident during a seemingly relaxed training session, saying, "We were practicing set pieces, a very chill session before the final, then [my captain] took me out from behind, and I did my ankle, he absolutely snapped me. Ligaments – grade 2. Six-week injury. That was the end of my time in Brazil"
This setback in Brazil marked a turning point in Boland's journey, yet it ultimately contributed to the resilient and determined player he became, going on to leave a mark on the Australian football scene with a tonne of goals. The Brazil experience also enhanced his passion for the game.
"I used to go to the stadium, and it was insane. I watched a World Cup Qualifier between Brazil and Argentina. It was packed. Messi rounded the keeper late in the game, then went round a defender and shot on a stupid angle but it hit the post. Maradonna was in the stands losing it – it was crazy. I love Argentinean football. I love their football culture and how nuts it is."
Despite his remarkable NPL achievements, Boland never got the opportunity he desired in the A-League. "It's been a journey. I really wanted to play at the highest level in Australia. If you go back to 2019, I won the golden boot. I had 22 goals and 11 assists. It’s never been just about goals for me; I like to hold up the ball and create. I never got a message from anyone. There’s a couple of my teammates who I know can play A-League like Kristian (Trajc). I hope they get their chance."
While the NPLM Grand Final marked the end of Boland's Victorian chapter, his story is far from over. Returning home, he plans to prioritise his family, pursue new career opportunities.
"Family is a big priority," he affirmed. "I’ve moved back for family. We’re planning on having a second child next year, so being back around family is going to be key."
In addition to his family commitments, Boland is embarking on a new career path in healthcare with New Care, a company focused on providing care in a person’s own home. He explained, "I know how tough it is seeing how my grandmother went in aged care, so I’m keen to get involved in New Care and help make a difference. It’s a good new opportunity which doesn’t start until January, so I’m looking forward to getting on the beach for a bit."
Boland is not short of suitors either, with several clubs eager to secure his services. He also has aspirations to delve into coaching, with plans to obtain his coaching licenses. "I have around four clubs I’m going to talk to when I get back home… maybe around six that have reached out in total. Next year I’m looking to play all out. But the year after, fingers crossed, I’ll be able to assist with coaching, as it’s definitely something I’m keen on. I’m getting my C license in November this year. You need to then hold your B and A for a few seasons, so I’m keen to get them too."
Reflecting on his coaching preferences, Boland shared, "I’ve coached juniors a bit, but my preference is going to be working with the older players. I didn’t think I would be as keen as I am now at this age to start coaching, but I’m really up for it. I think the younger, the better, why not?"
Away from football, Boland also has a strong passion for photography. He's eager to devote more time to this hobby, recounting a crazy encounter with a grizzly bear during his honeymoon in Vancouver in a once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
"My highlight was capturing a grizzly bear in Banff. It’s a pretty crazy story," he began. "We initially planned to visit Grouse Mountain in Vancouver, where two bears were active in captivity. However, we were disappointed to find out that, for the first time ever, it was closed to prepare for the ski season. We were spewing."
Undeterred, Boland and his wife redirected their journey to the picturesque town of Banff, an incredible place surrounded by natural beauty. "While I was there," Boland continued, "I ventured into the town centre and stumbled upon an art gallery displaying some impressive shots of a bear. This bear, I learned from a lady who was working there, was known as 'The Boss.' He is the largest bear in the region, still thriving in his twenties, and notorious for his dominance. He'd even been involved in some notorious incidents, like taking on other bears and surviving being hit by the train that runs through the mountains. 'The Boss' is responsible for fathering around 80% of the bears in the region – that’s how dominant he is. I asked the lady what the chances of us seeing him in the wild were, and she said it was about 1%. But if we see a bear – it would be him. She told us to head to a place called Morant’s Curve, so the next day we set aside time to explore, and off we went."
Their journey through the picturesque landscape led them along an old highway, with no guide but their own determination, all in a rental car. As the day wore on, and with less-than-ideal lighting conditions, they were on the brink of packing it in and heading back to town.
However, destiny had other plans. Boland's tale took an epic turn, as he recounted, "Right when we thought about pulling the pin, my wife and I saw this silhouette dash across the road ahead of us, and we both thought, no way. We drove up to where it was in the bushes and couldn’t see anything at first, but then in the distance, we saw the bear scratching its back on a tree around 25 meters away. I didn’t have my camera ready at this point, but luckily, even though he knew we were close by, it wasn’t startled and slowly walked across our path without aggression and ended up getting about 7 meters away from us. I got my camera out and got these photos, which made the Calgary Herald."
If anything was going to ignite Boland's passion for photography even further it was this encounter with "The Boss", a moment that would leave an indelible mark on his memory. He concluded, "I’ll definitely get a tattoo of one of my photos I took, for sure."
Finally, as a lifelong Tottenham Hotspur fan, we had to touch on Spurs and Boland was keen to chat, expressing his enthusiasm for the club's recent developments under Ange Postecoglou's management. "It’s been special - there are people in football I know that have so many good stories about him. How genuine he is. I’ve been a fan for 20+ years now, and I think it’s the most positive feeling around the place regarding Spurs I can remember, and it’s down to Ange."
He continued, "It even feels better than the Pochettino era. We obviously made the UCL final under Poch, but this feels different. We haven’t won a trophy in 15 years, and Ange saying it’s not just about trophies, it’s about changing the whole club, it’s amazing. Because I feel like that’s going to lead to more trophies down the track. There’s no point just chasing trophies – we need a total shift in the club."
Photography by Aleksandar Jason
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