The 19-year-old wreaked havoc for Central Coast’s youth league outfit in the summer and had bashed down the doors to the senior side, making his A-League debut for the Mariners in March.
The Shepparton boy was finally a professional footballer.
He was poised to strike before the COVID-19 pandemic wiped sport from the face of the earth, forcing him back to the Goulburn Valley with a taste of A-League football lingering.
However, three months on, the year still could be his for the taking.
Already a week back training on the emerald greens of the Mariners’ Centre of Excellence, Kuol is raring to go with a July 16 date locked in for the A-League’s return.
“It has been great being back,” Kuol said.
“The standard since we have been back has really been high; because we’ve been away for so long everybody just wants to get stuck in, so it’s been really good.
“We have the last four games of the A-league season to go, so our goal obviously is to win them all.”
The break meant home again for the former Goulburn Valley Sun.
Using the hiatus to catch up with familiar faces, the spirited young striker wasted no time sharpening his skill set on the grounds where he gained recognition as a truly surreal talent for the Orangemen.
“It was quite annoying to have to stop playing and training day in, day out, but on the other hand it turned out okay because I got to come home and be with my family which was good,” he said.
“(It is) always good to be home and see the family and friends, so I couldn’t really complain. But I was itching to be back as well.
“The club sent us out some specific training depending on our position to do while we are away, so I followed that, it was mostly running activities.
“Otherwise I’d put on a little session with the brothers and a few mates so I wouldn’t be just sitting there on the weekends.
“I got the younger brothers involved to keep them fit — they’re good to be around because you’ve got to prove to them who’s still the alpha at the end of the day.”
The A-League will return in a frenzied format from July 16 with the remaining 27 games of the regular season to be held across a 28-day period.
Central Coast will square off with the Newcastle Jets in round 25 of the competition, with the date yet to be confirmed.
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