And then there were 17. That's all we've got left from those players who crossed the great divide from "old soccer" to "new football". Eleven seasons into the A-League, just 17 players remain who played in the old National Soccer League. That's just 17 players who truly appreciate how much the game has evolved, and how much it now gives them. They are the survivors.

They've survived because they've adapted, and in many cases they've thrived. I'd like to think they remain valid because they understand. Because they value each and every game as full-time professionals. Because they know where they've come from – where the league itself has come from – and they've always worked hard to make the most of their good fortune.

Good fortune helped by good timing. Young enough in the NSL era to forge a proper career in the A-League era, but most importantly good enough as well. Nine have gone on to play for the Socceroos, and Andrew Durante and Glen Moss have played for New Zealand.

Why do I like these guys? Because they remember what it was like to work all day, rush home to grab a kit bag, and then head out to training. At least three times a week. They remember the bad lights and the cold showers, the atrocious playing surfaces, and the tiny crowds. They played because they loved to play, and the rest was a bonus. It didn't make them unambitious, it made them realists. So today, when they are waited on hand and foot, when they are paid handsomely, rewarded with big crowds, big profiles and big stadiums, they know how lucky they are. They don't take it for granted.