Western Sydney defender Alex Bonetig will reunite with his brother Liam this Saturday night when the Wanderers battle reigning A-League Champions Melbourne City at CommBank Stadium.
This weekend’s game will be the first time the Bonetig brothers have gone head-to-head, probably since they were teenagers at the local soccer pitch.
23-year-old Alex has been a member of the Wanderers for more than decade, rising up the Academy ranks, while 20-year-old Liam recently returned home to Australia after a lengthy stint with Scottish giants Celtic FC.
Alex said this Saturday’s season opener against the 2024/25 A-League Grand Final winners will be very memorable.
“It’s going to be extra special because my brother plays for Melbourne City. Hopefully he gets a start,” Alex told Parra News.
“He was originally from Celtic and came back this transfer window and signed with Melbourne City. He’s a centre-back, so I might get to mark him on a corner kick.”
Alex and Liam won’t just be playing in front of a near full house this Saturday night, but they’ll be playing in front of family and friends too, who will travel up from Shellharbour on the South Coast to watch the brothers battle it out.
“I’ve managed to secure a few tickets,” Alex revealed.
“Liam’s moved from one end of the world in Scotland down to the other end of the world in Melbourne. I’m still not seeing him regularly, but I’m sure we’ll catch up after the game not before.”
Alex has been with the Wanderers since U13s when he was a key figure in the club’s Youth Academy program. 10 years’ on and he’s finally living the dream of getting to play in the A-League competition.
“Growing up you’re always looking at the first team – it’s the standard – it’s where you want to be,” Alex said.
“I’m originally from down south, so it was always a long drive for me to get to the games. It’s hard to fathom that just a few years ago I was sitting in the stands watching on, now I’m in the team.
“It was always my dream to make my debut at this club and I’ve enjoyed the journey so far.”
After some very lean years, the Wanderers seemed to turn a corner last season under coach Alex Stajcic. Not only did they reach the Finals after going on an incredible 12-game unbeaten run, but they also made history by scoring their most goals ever in a season.
Alex said last season’s feats were great to be a part of, but he fell short of declaring it a successful season.
“I still remember that game against Macarthur when we filled out every single bay on that away side – I thought ‘wow this is special’,” he reminisced.
“Hopefully we can replicate that form this year because even though we went on this really good run, we didn’t win anything.
“It doesn’t matter when you look back on it, but it’s a good starting point and we want to build on that this year.”
Nathan Taylor is Parra News' sports journalist. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked in western Sydney media for more than a decade.