| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nikola Mrdja[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 30 November 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Perth, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker (Retired) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1997 | Bayswater City | 1 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | Canberra Cosmos | 3 | (0) |
| 2000 | Perth SC | 6 | (2) |
| 2000–2004 | Perth Glory | 73 | (24) |
| 2004 | AIK | 12 | (2) |
| 2005–2011 | Central Coast Mariners | 48 | (12) |
| 2010 | → Melbourne Victory (loan) | 3 | (1) |
| Total | 146 | (41) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2007 | Australia | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:47, 31 October 2010 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Nik Mrdja (born 30 November 1978 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia) is an Australian football (soccer) player of Serbian ethnicity.[1] He currently plays as a striker for the Australian A-League club the Central Coast Mariners.
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He has the distinction of having scored the last goal of the now defunct NSL when he scored a golden goal winner in the 2004 Grand Final for Perth Glory against Parramatta Power.
He earned the ire of Newcastle United Jets fans in 2005, when he broke Andrew Durante's leg[2] in a tackle during the Australian qualifiers for the Oceania Club Championship. He also scored a hat-trick in the same tournament, as Central Coast defeated Adelaide United 4-0. He later scored a hat-trick in the Mariners' 3-0 defeat of Queensland Roar in the Pre-Season Challenge Cup.
This was to remain the high-point of Mrdja's season as he was injured from the final of the Pre-Season Challenge Cup. Mrdja scored his first goal for the Mariners on the 19th of November 2006 against the New Zealand Knights, after almost two years on the sidelines. It was his first in Australia since scoring the winner in the 2004 NSL Grand Final.
On 5 February 2010, Mrdja joined Melbourne Victory (under controversial circumstances) as an injury replacement player for Billy Celeski.[3][4][5]
| Club | Season | National Soccer League | Finals | Oceania | Other 1 | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Canberra Cosmos | 1998-99 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||||||
| Perth Glory | 2000-01 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||||
| 2001-02 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 3 | |||||
| 2002-03 | 24 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 33 | 8 | |||||
| 2003-04 | 19 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 14 | |||||
| Club subtotal | 57 | 21 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 73 | 25 | |
| Club | Season | Allsvenskan | Supercupen | Europe | Other 1 | Total | |||||
| AIK Fotboll | 2004-05 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 2 | ||||||
| Club | Season | A-League | Finals | Asia | Other 1 | Total | |||||
| Central Coast Mariners | 2005-06 A-League | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | ||||
| 2006-07 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | |||||||
| 2007-08 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 3 | |||||
| 2008-09 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 4 | |
| 2009-10 | 17 | 6 | 17 | 6 | |||||||
| Club subtotal | 40 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 58 | 17 | |
| Melbourne Victory | 2009-10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 1 | ||
| Central Coast Mariners | 2010-11 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||||||
| Club subtotal | 46 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 64 | 17 | |
| Total | 120 | 34 | 19 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 160 | 45 | |
1Includes A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup
Mrdja made his debut for the Australian team in a friendly against Argentina, on 11 September 2007, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne.
| # | Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Game time | Match Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 September 2007 | Argentina | 0-1 | Loss | Friendly | 82' | Report |
With Central Coast Mariners:
With Perth Glory:
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