Steve Puli, The Captain and the Coach (PEOPLE 2026)

This image is part of my project to photograph the journey of Hobart City FC, a local passionate Italian soccer club which has had very little success in recent years. This image, taken at the half time break, captures the intensity and tension between the Captain and the Coach as the team find themselves facing yet another loss. Meanwhile the players sit in varying states of focus—some attentive, some withdrawn, some physically present yet mentally elsewhere, one even distracted on their smart phone… The stark black and white image captures fatigue, leadership, vulnerability, concentration and the unspoken weight of expectation.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.