Sweet Nectar mazy shows Hibs midfield destroyer's creative streak

Triantis in action at Killie yesterday | SNS Group

With a dip of the shoulder, a sweet nutmeg and a couple of sidesteps that ultimately took five opponents out of play, Nectar Triantis didn’t look much like a ball-winning, momentum-absorbing defensive midfielder who can only find joy in destroying the creativity of others. In this age of very specific numbers to describe increasingly specialised roles, the traditional No. 6 tag ascribed to the Aussie might not have survived scrutiny, had his thumping right-footed shot gone in off the underside of the crossbar at Rugby Park yesterday.

Laughing as he admitted that those sort of slaloming runs through opposition ranks are neither his forte nor part of the job description that attracted him back to Hibs for a second loan spell, Triantis said: “I thought I’d scored when I hit the bar. I really wish that had gone in. I’ll have to try again next time

“I don’t go on many runs like that, no. But I think I will do now, as it almost paid off!”

CATCH THE LATEST EPISODE OF OUR HIBS HUB PODCAST HERE

In truth, the 21-year-old understands that his role at Hibs is – to quote manager David Gray – “dominate the middle of the pitch” as a sort of footballing bouncer, keeping the most annoying and persistent threats from getting too close to the back four. That seems do-able for a player who struggled at centre-half after his January move north from Sunderland, looked better when shifted to midfield by Nick Montgomery – and made plenty of positive impressions in yesterday’s 1-1 draw with a physical and energetic Kilmarnock side.

He definitely benefited from half a season’s exposure to the Scottish Premiership last season. Twenty minutes into yesterday’s game, it was as if he’d never been away.

Explaining why he will always embrace the bare-knuckle combat element of competing in Scotland’s elite division, Triantis said: “Playing in England and Australia, every league and country has its own style. I think Scottish football is very physical, very fast-paced and has very talented players.

“In each country, it has a top division, and you have to respect that. There are top players in each team, and you do have to deal with them and win those individual battles.

“For myself, I do like a battle – I like a physical battle in the middle of the park, so I think the league does suit me. I think I just had to have that time to get going.

“I wouldn't say that physicality is a typically Australian thing. I think it's just about the person. And the person I am, you either have it or you don't.

“I think it's good that I'm versatile, but I think my strong point heading into this season will be in midfield. I think you can say that I'm comfortable carrying the ball. I also have those defensive traits, so I think it's a real positive for not only myself, but the team.

“It helps that I played here last season. I think you saw last season; I had a bit of a slow start when I came here in January - but I think I took that time to adapt. I think this season I can hit the ground running and have those positive performances.

“It was hard last season. It's just a different brand of football, I think. In each respective country it has its own style and so does Scotland. I think every player has the time to adapt, but I think now I've passed that and I'm just looking forward.

“It feels good to be back. I enjoyed playing, I like Edinburgh, I like the club, I like the fans. So no complaints!

“I only joined a few days ago, so it was a bit of a chaotic I'd say. But I felt good out there in the game.

GET THE LATEST HIBS NEWS DIRECTLY TO YOUR EMAIL INBOX DAILY WITH OUR FREE NEWSLETTER SERVICE

“Most of the boys are here from last season, so I just picked up from where I left off. We were a bit unfortunate to get the draw, but I thought we looked good in moments. If we can just tidy up a little bit, I think we've got a strong team.

“I feel that, with the squad we have, there is much better to come from this group. We’ve not had the greatest of starts to the season, but we're seeing signs of progress.

“It's only been a handful of games, and we've got an international break now. I think we've got good players coming back from injury and players like myself coming in to the squad, so I think it's come at a good time for us.

“I think we can all see that it's looking on the up. Things happen, you have a poor start, it happens in football. You just have to keep moving forward.”