We may still have several months of A-League action left to go, but Macarthur FC have already taken what might be a season-ending blow. What was supposed to be a two-match suspension for Valere Germain, covering contests against both of the Bulls’ intercity rivals, became effectively indefinite when he quit the A-League in protest of the officiating and signed with J.League side Sanfrecce Hiroshima. With such a key piece abruptly out and the Bulls’ tepid form as of late, the response has been predictable. The “Guhhh duhhh fold the team” faction have come out to play, as they tend to do the second anything goes even slightly wrong for us—nevermind how disastrous it would be for the whole A-League if any team folded—and fans like me have been left to mourn as our captain and franchise player exits under strange dark clouds for the second time in less than a year.
I have to admit, in a way, it’s poetic. In our biggest moment of this campaign, when we beat Melbourne Victory for the Australia Cup, we had to do it without Germain because of his double-yellow in the semis—and the first of those cards was for excessive complaining. Now, not only do we have to manage without him because of his poor relationship with the refs, not only will we have to navigate AFC Champions League Two without him next season, but he’s personally used his ticket to Asia early by signing with the team that, as of this writing, has the most favourable odds to host the ACL Two final in May.
Valère Germain celebrates after scoring a goal (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
I know Germain wasn’t the most universally-loved striker in the A-League. Among his detractors, he had a rep as a flopper, a complainer, and an all-around prima donna. That all may be true, but when we had him, he was our primadonna, and he earned some leeway for his antics with some incredible play. With twelve goals and six assists in his lone full season in Campbelltown, he sat top ten in both categories league-wide, leading Macarthur on the latter front and helping the Bulls return to the finals series for the first time since its inaugural season. In the AFC Cup, he was exactly the man we needed—only two players in the whole tournament had more goal involvements, and since he scored three of his goals on penalties, that meant the bulk of his contributions in open play came from assists. When a No.9 with that kind of vision and creativity is around, it’s a nightmare to go up against him, but it’s a dream come true if he’s on your team, and when he was fully in the zone, there were few A-Leaguers I enjoyed watching more.
While the way we reorganised the team over the offseason put a damper on Germain’s passing game, as that duty shifted to other players while he became more of a pure scorer, he was certainly deserving of the armband until his departure. With seven A-League goals scored, he was in the hunt for the Golden Boot, and while he may have missed the Australia Cup final, we absolutely don’t make it there without him.
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For three straight rounds, Germain was indispensable, first putting up two goals and an assist against Newcastle, then scoring the lone goal of the contest against both Oakleigh Cannons and South Melbourne. Had he kept his cool and made it to AAMI Park, he may have tied or even surpassed Nishan Velupillay as the tournament’s top scorer.
With that kind of track record, I was more than willing to forgive his more petulant and unscrupulous days. I didn’t even mind his acts of what’d politely be called “gamesmanship”—as an American, most of the moments that get the Bulls called a dirty team just register to me as standard CONCACAF ball. Given how much he’s given to this team, how he’s defined our identity by kicking in the door for Ligue 1 alumni like Marin Jakolis to join our ranks, and how big of a role he apparently played in mentoring Jed Drew and Ariath Piol before they hauled in significant transfer fees on their way out of Australia, it’s hard to even be that mad at him. In a way, I should be thankful he picked Sanfrecce—not only do I not have to see him around playing for a direct rival, he might get one last chance to dunk on Sydney FC if his new team meets them in the ACL Two semi-finals.
Yet all the same, by leaving in the abrupt way he did while we’re skidding the way we are, he finally tested my patience, and now I find myself thinking of Germain like a jilted ex. If he was going to screw us like this, he could’ve at least left us a nice transfer fee on his way out the door.
However, we can’t wallow in it forever. The bye week has become a fortuitous chance to regroup, and we’ve already started to move on by promoting Luke Brattan to the captaincy. While he’s not the sort of scene-stealing attacker we’ve traditionally given the armband, I think it’s reasonable to switch things up after back-to-back tenures from such players going down in flames, and while I personally would have given the armband to Filip Kurto, Brattan will certainly do for the time being.
For the short term, our priority needs to be finishing on as strong of a note as possible. We may be in eighth, but we’re well within striking distance of a post-season spot, and given how close together most of the league is bunched up, it should only take one good run of results to make the top six, or at least avoid falling to the bottom four and having to start next season in Darwin. If that takes a campaign of roughhousing, terror, and mayhem to achieve, then so be it. A win is a win, no matter how unattractive a style of football you have to play to achieve it, and as the Australia Cup final proved, these Bulls have it in them to grind the game to a halt and reap massive rewards without Germain around.
As for broader roster construction, with so many key pieces in attack off to bigger and better leagues, the Bulls need to hold on to the ones they have. Unless somebody comes along offering such stupidly high sums for their services that accepting the deal would be an automatic fleece, names like Jake Hollman and especially Marin Jakolis absolutely cannot be allowed to leave Campbelltown before the start of the 2025/26 campaign. There’s too much to play for and too much to be gained through success next season, and if the Bulls want to stay sharp, they need proven pieces up front so they know what exactly they’re building around and what holes to plug.
Marin Jakolis celebrates with Bulls fans. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
In fact, I’d argue the top priority of the next transfer window should be searching out and signing Macarthur’s next big superstar. Germain’s flashy signing nearly two years ago now signalled that the Bulls were serious about improving and making noise in Asia, and whoever they get as his replacement, it needs to send a similar message. If nothing else, Germain’s experience and success in a top-five league, deftness at both shooting and playmaking, and ability to teach and elevate younger players around him sets a compelling blueprint for team scouts to start from.
So while things may look bleaker for my Bulls without Germain around, when I set my eyes to the near future, I see plenty to be excited about. I see a chance to not only defend our Australia Cup, but win it for the third time in four years, thereby establishing a never-before-seen level of dominance over the competition. I see a grand return to continental football, and the chance to continue building our name as a force to be reckoned with on that stage. I see Jakolis continuing to dazzle at one end of the pitch while Kurto keeps it locked down at the other. Most of all, though, I see a franchise defined by its resilience who’ve come back from far worse at incredible speeds. Not even a year ago, with the doomsayers even louder than they are now, we went from wrecked by scandal to history-making road warrior cup champions in five matches flat. Compared to that, losing Germain should be cake.
So as much as he broke my heart, I have to thank Germain for all he did while he was here, and I wish him well in his next chapter. But I can’t lie, if he ever comes back to Campbelltown in another team’s colours and gets sent off for yelling at the refs again, it’ll be the funniest thing I ever see.
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