Hibs sweet on Nectar as Sunderland loanee proves worth and fronts up to new challenge in skipper's absence

Joe Newell can probably spot the gaps from his seat in the main stand. The Hibs captain, likely to spend two or three more weeks watching from afar as he recovers from a groin injury, is currently getting a birds’ eye view of a midfield missing his calming influence.

If some of the issues caused by his absence might make the skipper wince more than any physical pain, he can’t be entirely displeased with what he’s seeing. Especially when it comes to the development of a young prospect capable, in time, of dominating the middle of the park.

To say that Nectar Triantis is improving every week would be over-stating the 21-year-old Sunderland loanee’s progress. But he’s certainly learning from every experience during this second stint with Hibs.

Under the guidance of new gaffer David Gray, who always saw Triantis as a midfielder despite the former A-League winner pitching up to Easter Road as a centre-half last January, the all-rounder is certainly coming onto a game. Thanks, in part, to a lot of one-on-one guidance from Hibs assistant Liam Craig, not such a shabby midfielder in his own playing days.

“He's been everything I thought he would be to be honest,” said Gray, who snapped up Triantis at the end of the summer window, the head coach adding: “Obviously he signed for the club last year as a centre-back and played a few games in midfield.

“That’s always a position I thought he would be really good in. I just really liked him as a six. I think when you watch him, how he moves and everything else, just the physicality even.

“Playing centre-back in Scotland is probably different to maybe what he's experienced before. But you look at how he moves; he's got really good legs, good energy, composed on the ball with both feet. And I always thought he might be needed as a more defensive minded midfielder with him having been a centre-back for a lot of the majority of his career.

“He naturally has that instinct to hold the middle of the pitch and be more defensive minded. I think he's massively benefiting from that role because there's not many now that see themselves as just a defensive midfielder. So I'm delighted with what he's given us.

“He's still learning as well. There's still loads of improvement to come from him.”

In the weekend draw with Rangers, Triantis came out tops in one very specific statistic beloved by defensive midfielders, leading both teams with 10 ball recoveries over the space of the 90 minutes. Over the course of the season, he’s top of the Hibs rankings when it comes to successful tackles per game.

The former Central Coast Mariners player also finds himself in the top five when it comes to interceptions per 90 minutes and, interestingly for a role often mislabelled as ‘sitting’ or ‘holding’, possession won in the final third. When needed, he can put the squeeze on opponents near their own goal.

Everybody loves Nectar - Triantis (left) and Jack Iredale celebrate after a win. | SNS Group

With one goal, a couple of assists and a handful of other chances created, Triantis is also doing his bit in possession. But his best performances have probably come when he’s got Newell alongside him. Can he continue to thrive in the absence of a veteran midfielder able to talk him through the chaos of the Scottish Premiership?

“When Joe is playing, you also have that balance as well with the left and the right,” said Gray. “And Nectar benefits from Joe’s experience, just having played so many games.

“Now playing without him is a different kind of challenge. But maybe depending on how we want to play, whether it's a one six or double six, or depending on what the opposition do, that will determine what we look for in him. But there's learnings for Nectar every single week, which is good because he's never played that position for his whole career really.

“So every week there's areas for improvement where he maybe jumps out of his slot too early or decision-making on the ball. Or just the speed of play sometimes because he's not always played in there.

“We’re just making sure that we're always trying to make him better. He does a lot of work with Liam Craig, who obviously played midfield.

“I'm delighted with where he is, but he's still got a lot of improving to do which is the exciting thing with him. He's played a lot of games - but he's only 21.

“That's the thing that you need to remember, he's only 21 years old he's not played a lot of football in that position. He’s certainly going to get better - and that's my job, to keep improving him.”