Inglese, who has been a part of South Melbourne’s senior squad since 2024, was a part of the club’s inaugural Australian Championship winning campaign. Inglese still vividly remembers the early moments as a first team player.

“The first time walking into that change room and seeing your environment, especially at a club like South Melbourne, [which] on our shirt literally says, ‘Oceana Club of the Century’, it’s massive,” he said.

“It’s a heavy shirt to wear—lot of players struggle with that coming into it. For me, it was about controlling my nerves and once I got on the ground just enjoying it and forgetting about all that other stuff and just playing with my feet.”

Inglese credits his father, Port Melbourne head coach Adam Inglese, with helping to alleviate a lot of the pressure associated with playing for a big club.

“His experience speaks for itself,” said Inglese, “Countless times [he’s] said, ‘You know who you are, you’re there for a reason, you deserve it, it’s your opportunity, go and show yourself.’”

Inglese feels an immense sense of accomplishment at now representing the club he played for as a teenager.

“Oh, it’s incredible,” he shared, “You feel proud of yourself. You feel a sense of loyalty to that club because you’ve obviously come through the ranks there and you want to sort of give back to not only the coaches who helped you, but also the fans who didn’t know about you when you were at a junior level, but have come to know you through the way you perform on the pitch and the trophies that you win for them.”

When asked about how players from different cultures get along, Inglese was quick to point out that times have changed from the days when most players were from the same background as the club they played for.

“In general, now clubs are more willing to accept everyone, so everyone’s included and accepted,” he explained.

“Everyone’s embraced and … if you’re the man for the job, then you’re gonna get the spot.”

It’s important for Inglese, who recently graduated from university where he studied teaching, to have a life outside of football.

“Honestly, sometimes I don’t mind just switching off completely from everything,” he admitted.

“[I enjoy] watching TV, catching up with mates —sometimes most of those mates are people I’ve met through soccer over the years, cause obviously soccer’s a massive community and you keep those friends that you make for life—so just catching up with people, catching up on life, studying.”

Finally, Inglese says that being a footballer made him popular with the kids he did his teaching placement with.

“I think they idolise me because I’d get into school and they’d say, ‘You won on the weekend’ [or] ‘You played well’,” he recalled.

“Or they’ll give it to me if I get a yellow [and say], ‘That was a bad tackle!’ They’re always on to me!

“But yeah, they love it—they absolutely love it. And I know I loved every minute with them.”