Syson tips big future for departing star as City shake-up their frontline

"He can play at whatever level he wants," Syson said as Simeoni headed off to join NPL Victoria powerhouse South Melbourne.

"It's great for his progression from under-18s at Riverside to a season with us and now this and it's nice to have played a part in that progression.

"The potential he's got is extraordinary. He's 6ft 2, strong, quick and can finish."

Syson said Simeoni's development in his time at Prospect Park had been a joy to watch.

"He's really learned about playing to his size. I'd seen him playing under-18s and when he first came to us he was still playing a bit like a boy and was a bit of a gentle giant.

"But towards the end of last season we played a game against South Hobart and I could see fear in their players at the back when he ran at them and that was impressive to watch.

"I'll certainly keep tabs on Toby because I had a great relationship with him."

With another St Patrick's College product, Stef Tantari, also leaving to join NPL South Australian side Metro Stars and fellow striker Toby Anderson returning to Ulverstone, City will have a new-look attack this NPL Tasmania season.

But with under-21 golden glove-winning keeper Noah Curtis also switching to cross-town rivals Launceston United, Syson embraced the ideas of players challenging themselves.

"It's important for these young men to go on and try and make the best of their career," he said.

"Stef moved to Adelaide and I encouraged that. For Noah, the guarantee of playing every week elsewhere was understandable. I wanted him to stay because he could have gone head-to-head with Clarky (Lachie Clark). It's nice to have two such great goalkeepers at the club and Clarky is such a good keeper, most clubs would want him.

"It's a difficult decision but we wish him all the best. Players have to make these decisions."

Fresh back from six weeks in his native UK, during which time he watched matches ranging from Arsenal in the Champions League to his local side Morecambe in League Two, Syson is seeking to improve on City's sixth-placed finish in his maiden season in charge, which saw eight wins, 10 losses and three draws.

American defender Alex Jacobs has also departed but Syson said up to five new signings were being kept under wraps.

"As a club we decided to keep things a bit more low-key this year and have been doing things quietly.

"The majority of our players are still here. We've got four new signings and a possible fifth not announced yet but I was very specific on what I wanted and one of those took six months. I was meticulous in what we were missing to try and get into the top four and sustain a challenge over a longer period."

Tipping South Hobart as the side to watch in the wake of golden boot winner Roberto Garrido's departure from Devonport, Syson was comfortable with City's progress under him and assistant coaches Alex Gaetani and Nathan Pitchford.

"Everything is shaping up well. With our principles of the way we play, I feel we have added the final touches to what we had last year."