How two teenage best mates sum up the hope & very best of Australian football's future
This is already Quinn MacNicol's fourth season in the A-League; when a kid makes their debut at just 15 years of age, sometimes you take for granted just how young they are still. But it's easy to realise why you forget, when you talk to Melbourne City's star attacking signing.
He made the tough decision to leave his boyhood club Brisbane Roar in the off-season; not only does he speak nostalgically of supporting the club with his dad, breaking into their academy and making his debut, getting to play alongside his best mate Lucas Herrington, but he articulates his goals clearly as to why he moved to Melbourne City as a youngster with ambition to progress. Melbourne is the next step; living out of home, but not on the other side of the world yet.
Getting the chance to pick the brains of the likes of Mathew Leckie, Awer Mabil, Aziz Behich and Andrew Nabbout. An evolution in his playing style, in a midfield alongside fellow baby faces Kavian Rahmani and Medin Memeti.
Playing in the "biggest game of his life", a Melbourne Derby. Football360 caught up with the 18-year-old ahead of Melbourne City's first home game against Sydney FC this weekend, a young A-League talent with an "ultimate dream" in full focus.
Moving out of home Having burst onto the scene with Roar, where he made 20 senior appearances while still at school, leaving Brisbane gives you a glimpse into the teenager's mindset. "The move down here was a step out of my comfort zone as well and obviously living by yourself at 18 is a bit challenging sometimes," he said.
"I'm going to have to mature a lot and it would definitely help if I transition to a move into Europe or anywhere like that overseas. Quinn MacNicol in his new digs at Melbourne City.
But if I was in Europe right now or in America, that would be 18 hours or something, which would be pretty hectic. This is a very good stepping stone, also in my career, but for my maturity as well.
He's already played in a derby and scored in Auckland, hitting the ground running in a move all designed to help him achieve his football ambition. It was a bit of a tough decision for me, leaving my family and my friends," he reflected.
"I could have stayed in Brisbane and just been very comfortable and continued playing football there. But I think for me personally, with my goals in football and where I want to get to, I think Melbourne City was the right move and the only move that was really on my mind, to be fair."