The suspension of Luke O’Nien and the uncertainty surrounding Daniel Ballard’s availability due to a hamstring injury had already increased Dodds’ stress level, but now that Jenson Seelt might miss the entire season owing to a catastrophic injury, the anguish is even more intense.
Because of this, Sunderland might be kicking themselves for letting go of a specific defensive talent who went on loan to Scotland. The adaptable 20-year-old in question is starting to impress people at his new short-term club, which is unfortunate for the Black Cats given their current situation.
Nectarios Trinatis’ time at Sunderland
Signed from Central Coast Mariners in far-out Australia just last summer, Nectarios Trinatis hasn’t really been able to bed into the Sunderland starting lineup in his short time in the building.
The fact that O’Nien and Ballard are trusted to start at center defense for Sunderland when they are available hasn’t helped the young Australian defender, and as a result, the 6 foot 3 new addition hasn’t been able to consistently break into the first team.
In the end, the 20-year-old would end up playing six games for the young Black Cats and even scored against Tottenham Hotspur U21s back in October. This would result in him being handed more minutes in the U21 fold rather than playing regular Championship football, where he made just two appearances.
In the January transfer window, off the back of his lack of minutes in the first team, it must have been viewed in Triantis’ best interests to ship him out on loan to get more first-team experience away from the Stadium of Light.
With hindsight, and understanding the precarious position Sunderland finds themselves in at the back, this may have been a choice that was regretted.
Nectarios Triantis’ time at Hibernian
With eight appearances for the Scottish team since entering on deadline day, Triantis has steadily but progressively made his way into the Hibernian first squad in Edinburgh.
Deployed as a defensive midfielder from at times during his fleeting spell with Hibs to date – making one appearance in that spot – Dodds and Co massively overlooked Triantis’ versatility to plug gaps when a crisis crops up.
In addition to displaying his desire to play wherever it suits him, the tall 6 foot 5 Australian kid has shown promise in short bursts at center defense, winning six duels against Aberdeen last month while projecting an intimidating presence.
Given that O’Nien will miss another game due to suspension and that Ballard and Seelt could become long-term fixtures in the Stadium of Light treatment room, the Wearside outfit’s executives will be wondering why they decided not to hold out for their summer acquisition in case Sunderland’s injury list somehow lengthens.
While things at Sunderland are still tense, Hibs manager Nick Montgomery is going to be overjoyed to have Triantis available. Montgomery has lauded Triantis for being “versatile” and “strong” since the player first arrived at Easter Road as a relatively unknown figure on loan.
When Sunderland plays Queens Park Rangers this Saturday, they will have to settle for what they have, and Dodds will be hoping that his team, which is playing with empty hands, won’t collapse under the weight of a seventh straight league defeat.
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