Melbourne Victory head coach Ange Postecoglou has wasted no time axing uncontracted stars Ante Covic and Grant Brebner.
Postecoglou took charge at his first training session at AAMI Park on Tuesday before cutting the veteran duo.
Covic, 36, was named the Victory s player of the year on Friday but has been overlooked ahead of relative youngsters Tando Velaphi and Lawrence Thomas, who are both already contracted for next season.
I was pretty happy with my season last year and was hopeful of getting another contract, but sometimes things don t work out that way in football, Covic said.
Brebner, 34, made 120 appearances since joining from Scottish outfit Dundee United, including winning grand finals in 2007 and 2009.
The former Manchester United apprentice and captain of Scottish side Hibernian was crowned the Victory s player of the year 12 months ago.
When I first came out from Scotland it was a bit of a step into the unknown, but six years down the path I ve enjoyed plenty of success here and I m even an Australian citizen now, so it s been a great experience, Brebner said.
Victory managing director Richard Wilson added: Grant and Ante have made great contributions to our club and we thank them for what they have given to us, not just on the pitch, but off it also.
Both boys have won the Victory Medal so that in itself is a fair reflection of the impact they ve had since joining Melbourne Victory, and we wish them all the best for the future.
Postecoglou s first game at the helm of the Victory will be an international friendly against Greek giants Olympiacos in Melbourne on May 19.
The Greek league and cup champions have vowed to bring their strongest squad to Australia for the one-off fixture despite its close proximity to Euro 2012.
A host of Greek internationals including Yiannis Fetfatzidis, Vasilios Torosidis and Yiannis Maniatis will join Sweden captain Olof Mellberg and former Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll for Olympiacos first trip to Australia since 1978.
