Jakarta Casual

Ok so Rahmad Darmawan has taken the plunge and moved to Malaysia with T Team. Andik Vermansyah of course has had two seasons with Selangor and next season, if he stays, can look forward to AFC Cup football. What about their Indonesian peers? What can they look forward to? Surely some of them should be considering a career out of their comfort zone, far from the world of teh botol and bakso...

Meiga Kurnia (Arema)

I first became aware of the prodigiously talented keeper back in Arema's Indonesia Super League winning season 2009/2010, coincidentally around the time I took notice of Muang Thong United's Kawin Thamsatchanan. Then a 19 year old, I was impressed by his confidence and his presence. Even at such a young age he commanded his defenders and his penalty area with  ease. This, thought I at the time, was a player who should make the Indonesian goalkeeping position his own for years to come and for a while it looked that way.

It hasn't happened that way though. Indonesian football has lost its way and so it seems has Meiga. When Indonesia did play international football the coach, whoever he was, relied more on Persib's I Made Wirawan. Perhaps now it is time to Meiga further his career away from his comfort zone and we can see if can still be mentioned in the same breath as Kawin.

Ramdani Lestalahu (Persija)

This all action midfielder has been turning in impressive performances for his team for a number of seasons now, shining in a distinctly average Persija side. He made an immediate impact in 2014 at the AFF Championships in Hanoi, scoring twice on his debut against Laos. Surely it was to be onwards and upwards for this exciting player.

But nope, tis not to be. Another victim of the petty squabbling that blights the game, Ramdani surely has the talent to make it overseas, the question will always be has he the desire?

Evan Dimas (Surabaya United)

Enough said! I wrote this back in June and nothing has changed. He is still in Indonesia, playing for Surabaya United in the Sudirman Cup and not in a proper league.

Zulham Zamrun (Persipura)

OK, he can't go now, not after picking up a long term injury playing for an amateur side in a regional competition but what the hell was he doing playing in such a 2 bob competition in the first place? Making money of course...in an ideal world his club, Persipura, would be competing in the ISL, they aren't so he was 'loaned' to Persib and then, between comptitions, fancied a bit of pocket money but got injured for his efforts. One more victim of the bitch fest that blights football in the country.

Yongki Aribowo (Persipasi Bandung Raya)

Striker who broke through around the same time as Meiga, he was another who impressed at an early age but has since lost his way thanks to Indonesia's lack of faith in young homegrown strikers. He is 27 now and since that brief early spell in the floodlights, his career has become that of a journeyman, moving from Persik to Arema to Persisam to Barito Putera and now West Java never quite fulfilling that early promise.

Samsul Arif (Arema)

If Yongki needs encouragement he should look no further than Samsul Arif. Born in East Java, I first noticed Samsul when he played for local side Persibo in the Indonesia Cup around about 2008, 2009. Small of stature but comfortable on the ball and a comfortable finisher, Samsul seems to be a true home boy, leaving Persibo for nearby Persela only to return to his hometown then back to Lamongan. Despite scoring goals where ever he went he never seemed to dominate games in the way he perhaps should have and it was only when he moved to Arema when they had a plethora of strikers and managed to fight his way into their first team that he started to show real consistency.

He is now 30 but still has the attributes to be a consistent scorer for any side prepared to play to his strengths and has finally become an established international