Jake Brimmer, who was just announced as Auckland FC’s newest signing and 2022 Johnny Warren Medal winner, told aleagues.com.au of his decision to step out of his comfort zone and join the A-Leagues’ newest club in a bid to rediscover the best form of his career.
New Auckland FC boss Steve Corica clearly played by the rules when assessing the skills Jake Brimmer brings to the new boys of the Isuzu UTE A-League: “He has immense talent that will take him beyond the A-League.”
In response, the 26-year-old former Melbourne Victory star was clearly surprised by his new coach’s words…
“It’s overwhelming to be honest, how well someone can talk about you,” Brimmer said aleagues.com.au.
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“I know Steve and have met him many times now and he is just someone who is so driven to win and win trophies. That was the real turning point that convinced me to come here.
“Of course the manager, with his CV and what he’s done for the A-League, as a footballer and a manager, was really the turning point. I’m a winner myself and wanted to win games and win trophies, that was probably the ultimate turning point.
He added: “But also the owner, Bill Foley, and just the success he’s had, obviously in other sports and what his ultimate goal is to win things, just his winning mentality.”
Auckland’s latest signing, who donned the number 17 shirt ahead of the start of their inaugural season, brings with him not only a wealth of A-Leagues experience but, just as importantly, a desire to return to the level that saw him win the competition’s highest individual award in 2022.
“I think it’s about believing in myself first and foremost,” Brimmer said when asked how he will get back to the level that saw him win the Johnny Warren Medal at the end of the 2021-22 season.
“Last year for me it was more about the team and the success of the team. I’m not saying it will be different this year, but I know what Steve has planned for me, to get me higher up the pitch and show what I can do in my favorite position.
He added: “I’ve only heard good things from what he’s said to me and what he wants from me, and I know with his support I can reach the levels that I know I can.”
When asked how he sees himself fitting into Corica’s new Auckland team, Brimmer was quick to point to the role a true A-Leagues icon filled during his time working under the lauded former Sydney FC coach.
“Yes, absolutely, that Milos Ninkovic role,” Brimmer said when discussing his new position in the Auckland line-up. “Being that one focus in attack, being able to assist others and obviously scoring goals yourself.
“You look at the number 10s and the attacking midfielders he (Corica) has had and the success he has had with them, the individual trophies that have come with them – that is exactly what I intend to do.”
Despite making a personal best 29 appearances for Victory in the 2023-24 season, Brimmer openly admits he never felt he had shown his true potential in a season that saw the Melbourne club come agonisingly close to winning their first championship since 2018.
Brimmer is still dealing with the physical and mental effects of the knee injury that sidelined the midfielder for eight months in 2023. He believes the move to New Zealand’s newest sports club will give him a fresh perspective on both life and football as he attempts to re-establish himself as one of the league’s best midfielders.
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“It was definitely something I had talked about and thought deeply about,” Brimmer said.
“I had to make a lot of sacrifices and leave a lot of things behind in Melbourne, but I think in terms of my career progression it was the perfect time to go into the unknown and start from scratch.
“I see it as a fresh start and that I can perform at my best again, because last year was a difficult year. On a personal level, a lot has happened to me, like recovering from my knee, etc., but again, this year is a fresh start for me and I can’t wait for the first round to come and show what I can do.”
With a broad smile on his face, dressed in the now iconic black and blue shirt of Auckland FC, the former Liverpool player took a moment to reminisce about his time at AAMI Park.
Having played over 90 games in four years with the club he openly supported as a junior, it is understandable that Brimmer did not take his decision to leave Victory lightly.
There was even a conceivable scenario in which he could have stayed in Victoria.
“I won’t go into too much detail, but there were obviously conversations with me at Victory that didn’t work out, I’ll just say that…” Brimmer said when asked if he could have stayed.
“I thought I saw myself at the club with what I was doing for the club… but then of course this challenge came along. I did get offered a contract at Victory, but this was a new challenge for me and one where I thought, you know what, it’s a challenge worth taking on.
“With the owner now in Auckland and the manager here, you know, it only takes one good year and the sacrifice can be worth it.”
As for adjusting to life in Auckland, Brimmer was initially slowed down by an illness before his big revelation could be confirmed.
The 26-year-old has now fully recovered and he and his partner have returned to work to enjoy life, both on and off the field, and to start their adventure in New Zealand.
“I’ve played with a couple of them or played against them,” Brimmer said, recounting meeting his new teammates in a scenario that resembled the first day at a new school. “A lot of the guys have obviously played in and around the league, so it’s nothing new to me.
“But everyone is so welcoming. The place itself, Auckland, is beautiful. I really fit in, my partner and I have a house now and we’ve started to set everything up – I really fit in, so I’m really loving it.”
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Brimmer can’t wait to get started with his new teammates for the 2024-25 season. Like most fans, Brimmer gets his football fix from the period between the season and the ongoing European Championships in Germany.
But unlike 99.99% of football fans in Australia and New Zealand, the Auckland signing has a very close bond with the England national team, and in particular with a man he worked with for many years as a junior in the youth academy of Premier League giants Liverpool: Trent Alexander-Arnold.
“The three years I was there I was with Trent almost every day,” Brimmer laughed when the conversation turned to the European Championship and the fact that Alexander-Arnold scored the winning penalty that put the Three Lions through to the semi-finals of Euro 2024.
“It’s funny because I keep telling everyone I was like, ‘Mate, he was nobody! You wouldn’t pick him out of a hat – out of everyone that was there, you go, okay, he’s probably not going to make it’
He added: “For me, because I had a close relationship with him at the time, you know, when we were there together, it’s good to see how far his career has progressed and how he has become the player he is today.”
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