Excitement grows as Dianella White Eagles return to top flight after 28 years

Round One of the 2026 New Balance NPL WA Men’s competition takes place this weekend, with Dianella White Eagles back in the big league after almost 30 years. Football West called in at pre-season training to see how preparations for their return are going …

Milos Dubroja is too young to remember the last time Dianella White Eagles played in the top flight of WA football. He was just three years old in 1998 when the club finished bottom of the State League and began a near three-decade spell on the outer.

Now he is Dianella’s Vice President, as well as Senior Football Operations. He is also a passionate White Eagles supporter. And as they prepare for this Saturday’s long-awaited return away to Perth RedStar, there is no hiding his excitement.

“The buzz is amazing. After almost 30 years out, the club is back and in the NPL … we can’t wait for the season to start,” Dubroja said.

“That first game at RedStar is going to be amazing. I think there’s going to be a huge crowd. And the first home game of the season (against Fremantle City on 21 March), that’s going to be something outstanding. We’re expecting a massive crowd for that game.

“Everyone behind the scenes, Fergie and everyone, has put such hard effort in, and we just want to make sure we are up there and we don’t disappoint, not only the football community and the Serbian community, but basically the club itself.”

Fergie, of course, is head coach Ian Ferguson the experienced Scot who won everything with Glasgow Rangers and coached Perth Glory to an A-League grand final. After a period in the NPL with Stirling Macedonia, he and his assistant John Lavery joined Dianella two seasons ago, taking them to the play-off final. Last year, Dianella avoided the post-season jeopardy thanks to a final-day victory at Kalamunda City that secured the Division One title and automatic promotion.

“To get the boys back to the top flight for the first time in over 25 years was a great achievement for everybody,” Ferguson said.

“It was very hard. UWA made it very difficult for us, and it went to the very last game of the season. That made it very exciting and we managed to get the 3-0 win at Kalamunda. It was a great feeling.

“You see all the work the boys have done. The football ops guys and other board members. To see the pride in their face when the club eventually got to the NPL, it was brilliant. The commitment from these guys and where they wanted to be … that’s what drew me here. I saw what they were willing to put in and I like what I heard from them, and that’s why I came here.”

Dianella’s pre-season training has been at Tuart Hill Junior Soccer Club in nearby Nollamara, as Inglewood Little Athletics has access to Dianella Reserve over summer. It’s not ideal, but Ferguson is the man to overcome any hurdles.

“It’s fine here, we get on with it,” he said. “Pre-season has been up and down. We had a good result against Perth Azzurri in the Night Series and then games we lost, which were down to silly mistakes. That’s something we’ve been working on.”

To go alongside captain Sasa Njegic, State Team defender Franc Gámiz Quer and winger Albert Luwi, Ferguson has added players with NPL experience, including Asher Nelson from his former side Stirling, striker Ben Hinshelwood from Balcatta Etna and Michael McDougall from Sorrento FC.

“Asher’s a wide player, he can play a 10, he can play as a nine. Very versatile, he’ll be a big player for us,” Ferguson said. “Big Ben works really hard, we’re now trying to get him to be that goalscorer we need. And Michael McDougall is another quality player I think will make a big difference to us.

“RedStar is going to be a difficult game. We’re the new kids on the block and RedStar have been there or thereabouts in the top four. But we’re relishing the game.

“There’s a lot of good teams, a lot of battling teams in there, so it’s going to be a very difficult season. I would like to think we’re going to be up there and be very competitive.”

Instrumental in Dianella’s promotion, and key to them thriving this term, is skipper Njegic. The talented midfielder was an NPL title winner with Olympic in 2024, before dropping down a division to taste more success.

“We have an experienced team this year compared to last year,” Njegic said. “We have got a lot of boys from the surrounding NPL teams, so I think a lot of them know what to expect. As for the younger ones, I think pre-season has been a good experience. We’ve come up against Division One clubs, Division Two clubs and NPL, and they have seen first-hand the difference.

“From last year, our only aim was to make it to the top flight … not only for the players but for everyone who’s been here since day dot. It’s been a big ambition to get to the NPL.

“Once that first whistle goes, I think you’ll see from the boys on the pitch, the crowd here, how much it means. We’re raring to go.”

• All games in the 2026 New Balance NPL WA competitions will be shown live and free on Streamer.com.au
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