National Premier Leagues 1 champion Alex Caniglia says he wouldn’t be the player he is today had it not been for his time at Inglewood United. Caniglia played a leading hand in Richmond’s 5-0 mauling of Springvale White Eagles on Saturday, a result which leapfrogged the Eagles over Melbourne Victory to claim promotion to Victoria’s top flight.

For Caniglia, the seeds of his success were sewn in 2012. “The two seasons I played for Inglewood shaped me for senior football,” said the winger, who was 21 at the time. “The discipline that (coach) Graham Normanton instilled into us both at training and on game day helped mature me as a person and a player.”

“It was the first time I’d regularly played in a 4-3-3- formation where the wingers were also operating as strikers. That meant that I was getting the ball more often in one-on-one situations and I was challenging myself to beat opponents. What I learnt at Inglewood set me up to be the player I am today.”

Those lessons put Caniglia, who after leaving Inglewood played 18-months at Balcatta, in good stead to spearhead Richmond’s title charge. “I moved to Melbourne in May but missed quite a few weeks with a quad injury,” explained the 24-year old, who heralded his returned to full match fitness by scoring seven goals in ten appearances.

“The playing style here suits the way I play the game, and to win the league with Richmond in my first season was absolutely incredible. We weren’t top of the ladder for the entire season but we worked very hard through training and preparation and all that finally paid off with us pinching the trophy in the final game.”

Caniglia says the strong bonds within Richmond’s playing group remind him of the good times at Inglewood. “One of the best things about Inglewood was the group of players that were there,” he said. “Playing alongside Ryan Clark, Andrija Jukic, Jack Clisby and Greg Sharland really opened my eyes to the standard that was expected of me to play at this level.”

“They taught me a lot about how the game should be played and were also terrific roles models on and off the field for a young player, as I was at the time. There is no doubt our team featured some highly talented players, but they were even better blokes. I made friendships that I still hold onto to this day.”