Troy Halpin

NSL Career: Newcastle Breakers, Wollongong Wolves, Perth Glory, Sydney Olympic 228 (20) / 1991/92 - 2003/04

Socceroos Career: 6 (1) A Internationals

One of the most technically gifted Australian-born footballers to have played in the competition, Troy Halpin was a talented playmaker who possessed incredible vision and passing accuracy to become one of the best providers and set piece specialists in the NSL following a slow start to his career. 

Part of a football family with roots in the Newcastle football scene, Halpin began his junior career at Barnsley before moving to West Wallsend. Halpin later joined the youth ranks of Newcastle Austral after the club joined the NSW Division One in the late 1980s. In 1991, Austral became Newcastle Breakers and joined the NSL where Halpin was part of their inaugural squad, making his NSL debut at the age of 18. 

Halpin struggled to break in to the first team in his first three seasons, making just 17 NSL appearances before the club folded at the end of the 1993/94 season after losing major sponsors BHP and Mitre 10. Following the demise of the Breakers, Halpin joined Wollongong Wolves where he made just four league appearances. Breakers returned to the NSL for the 1995/96 season and Halpin returned to his former club where he experienced a breakout season at the age of 22. 

Breakers struggled in the league but reached the NSL Cup Final, losing three-one to South Melbourne. Halpin became one of the most consistent performers in the NSL over the next season and a half before joining younger brother Scott at Perth Glory, looking to give himself a better chance for Socceroos selection.

After just four league appearances for Glory, Halpin made his full international debut, playing alongside Glory team mate Ernie Tapai. Under new German coach Bernd Stange, Perth became one of the top sides during the 1998/99 season as Halpin ran the midfield alongside Gareth Naven and Con Boutsianis, creating many of Perth's 62 regular season goals.

Perth qualified for the final series for the first time and progressed to the preliminary final, losing two-one to Sydney United. Perth became minor premiers for the first time in the 1999/00 season where Halpin missed a number of games as competition for spots in the Perth midfield became hotly contested with the additions of Kasey Wehrman, Dega and Ivan Ergić.

Halpin maintained his spot during the finals series as he helped Perth reach their first grand final against Wollongong, in which his brilliant crossing technique created the side's second and third goals in the first half. Wollongong levelled the scores in the second half before winning a penalty shoot-out in which Halpin was not a penalty taker. Following the grand final loss, Halpin moved to Sydney Olympic where he became a key member of the side in Branko Culina's last season in charge and reached the 2000/01 Preliminary Final, losing two-nil to South Melbourne. 

Halpin continued to pull the strings for Olympic during the 2001/02 season as the side qualified for the finals series for the third consecutive season. Olympic progressed to the preliminary final where Halpin came off injured in the first half following a collision with Newcastle forward Esala Masi and subsequently missed Olympic's grand final win over former club Perth Glory. 

Despite an injury-interrupted 2002/03 regular season, the creative midfielder cemented his spot in the side in the 10-round NSL Championship Series, helping Olympic reach consecutive grand finals. Playing in his first grand final since starring in Perth's disappointing loss in 2000, Halpin played against his former club but was unable to stop them from winning their first NSL Championship. 

Following Olympic's grand final loss, Halpin suffered another injury-interrupted season as the club failed to qualify for the finals series in the last season of the competition. Following the demise of the NSL, Halpin joined Johor for the inaugural Malaysian Premier League season and helped the side finish third, falling just five points short of promotion to the Super League. 

Following his time in Malaysia, Halpin returned to Australia to continue his playing career in the NSW Premier League with stints at Sydney United and Marconi. Halpin later became player-coach of Northern NSW Division One sides Toronto Awaba and Edgeworth before hanging up his boots at the age of 39.