Central Coast Mariners have signed 18-year-old goalkeeper Dylan Peraic-Cullen to his first professional contract, keeping the Australian junior representative on the Coast until at least the end of the 2026/27 season.
Peraic-Cullen arrived on the Coast at the beginning of the 2023 Academy season, after impressing for the Capital All-Stars against the Mariners in a 2022 pre-season friendly at the age of just 16.
After being awarded a scholarship midway through 2023, the former Central Coast Sports College student continued to excel in the Academy, working closely with Danny Vukovic to develop his game.
He made his professional debut in Round One of the current Isuzu UTE A-League season against Melbourne Victory, becoming the Mariners’ youngest starting goalkeeper, and the Isuzu UTE A-League’s youngest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet when starting.
Peraic-Cullen has since retained the number one spot, playing six matches including two in the AFC Champions League Elite competition, keeping two clean sheets so far.
The goalkeeper also recently spent a week away with the Australian under-23s squad having been selected for their domestic training camp.
Head Coach Mark Jackson said the young player had exceptional talent and potential.
“We want to secure our young players and help give them the platform to continue to get better and develop with us,” he said.