Dream Team 2021 - Goalkeepers

Colin Bowles
Born in London in 1953, Colin made his way over to Western Australia in his 20s and quickly became a force to be reckoned with in the goal square. He played for three seasons for the blue and whites between 1974 to 1976, winning the Fairest and Best in ’74 and winning the Top Four Cup in ’75 in a 3-1 win over Perth Azzuri- the club’s first piece of major silverware. Bowles also represented the state and went on to work as a freelance journalist and writer, penning dozens of books, often going by his pen name, “Colin Falconer”. Bowles recently attended a Sponsors Day function at the club and was able to reunite with some former teammates and friends.

Paul Doropoulos
The Doropoulos name is well known within business and sporting circles in Western Australia. Paul was one of many home-grown Athena talents who impressed early with plenty of promise. He was a member of the WA U-16s team and from there found his way into the senior Athena team, playing league football from 1977-1984. During his time, he won the 1977 league and night series double. Paul has since gone on to be a successful businessman working in oil and gas and is the father of former state cricketer Theo Doropoulos.

Alan Davidson
A fan favourite among players and fans, Davidson only spent two seasons (1988 and 1989) before returning to his native Scotland. Davidson started his youth football with Celtic and hailed from football royalty. His father Bob Davidson was Scotland’s highest accredited referee at the time, who officiated in several European Championships and World Cups during the 1960s and 1970s. With a reputation as a penalty saver, Alan Davidson played a starring role in Athena’s 1988 Premiership, the ’88 and ’89 State Cups and the ’88 Top Four Cup.

Chris Barbas
The Barbas name is iconic at Athena, with three of the four brothers (Harry, Nick and Chris) pulling on the gloves over the years. Chris was a no-nonsense keeper who loved to challenge oncoming strikers. He donned the gloves for Athena between 1984 and early 1988 and spent a second stint at the club between 1991 and 1994. He was part of  Athena’s 1985 night series title winning campaign and featured in several more night series grand finals in the early 90s. He also donned the gloves for Western Australia, which included a trip to India. Years later, he coached Athena's U-16's and U-18s in 2011. He tasted success with the U-16s winning the 2011 State Cup. In 2012 Barbas was appointed Head Coach for the senior NPL team, steering the squad to a Grand Final berth against Sorrento in the same year.

Jason Saldaris
Like many of Athena's players who've hailed from Hellenic ancestry, the football journey for Jason Saldaris started at Athena at a young age, playing for the club's U-6s all the way through to the U-11s. For the past five seasons (2016-2021) he has performed well enough to be considered as one of Athena's best keepers in history. During his time at Litis Stadium, Saldaris (along with his younger brother, Chris) has helped the club earn two-night series titles (2018 and 2019) the 2016, 2019 and 2021 State Cups, and the 2020 Top Four Cup. In 2021 Saldaris will defend Athena's goals against Adelaide United in the RD of 32 of the FFA Cup- the third such time the club has made it to the national cup competition in the tournament's short seven year history. In 2018 and 2019 Saldaris was named WA’s Goalkeeper of the Year. Before joining Athena, Saldaris spent two seasons with former National Soccer League Champions South Melbourne Hellas where he was named keeper of the decade (2010-2020).