No-one will be particularly surprised at the absence of Perth Glory players in Pim Verbeek's preliminary squad for the World Cup. That will be little consolation though to three Glory stars who, especially given some names that did illuminate that big plane on Tuesday, could quite justifiably feel harshly treated in missing out.
When I previewed the chances of Mile Sterjovski, Chris Coyne and Jacob Burns making the squad some 10 weeks ago, I didn't give any of the trio much hope. Sterjovski was, in my opinion, in a three-way battle with Dario Vidosic and Richard Garcia. Mile Jedinak and Carl Valeri were both vying for the one spot Burns was hoping to snare. Coyne was well behind a long list of defenders hoping to support Neill and Moore. Even making a 30-man squad was going to be difficult for all three, let alone earning a ticket to South Africa.
There are, however, three names that would have the potential Gloryroos shaking their heads at how they missed out. Those names are Richard Garcia, James Holland and Michael Beauchamp. Any of those three could so easily have been replaced by a purple-clad player.
Garcia may be a Premier League player, but he has struggled to make an impact in a struggling side during Hull's two year spell at the top. Forty appearances, most off the bench, and just one goal don't do much to suggest Garcia is going to be a major force for the Socceroos.
He may be younger and playing at a higher level than Sterjovksi, but with Vidosic acting as the "young" right-forward option the presence of a World Cup 2006 veteran might've been seen as a benefit by Verbeek. Apparently though, it wasn't, and Garcia despite his injury-plagued season got the nod.
Chris Coyne was always going to be an outsider for the World Cup squad. Despite some strong performances in the qualifiers, there just seemed to be too many good players ahead of him. It's not so much that Chris missed out that disappoints, but rather the player that received the place.
It wasn't the better A-League defender Simon Colosimo. It wasn't the in-form Sasha Ognenovski or Eddy Bosnar. It wasn't even the youthful Matt Spiranovic. It was Michael Beauchamp - a guy who has never really impressed at international level and has struggled to even make the first-team at small teams in small leagues around the world. If experience wasn't enough to get Sterjovski a gig, it certainly shouldn't have earned Beauchamp a call-up.
Burns, surprisingly, might be the unluckiest man to miss out. James Holland might be seen as an up-and-coming talent for the Socceroos and a possible long-term replacement for Jason Culina, but his youth and lack of international (or even European first-team) football must surely make it unlikely that he will jump ahead of Jedinak or Valeri for the 2010 World Cup.
Why would Burns be a better option, you ask? As a purely defensive stopper in midfield he is, based on personal opinion, unparalleled in Australia's ranks. I would go so far as to say even Grella will struggle to apply the defensive side of his game as well as Glory's own harasser. There may have been a niche for Burns with the likes of Ballack, Essien and Stankovic awaiting Australia, but we'll never know.
Sandgropers Taking on the World
While Perth Glory may not have any representatives at the world's biggest sporting tournament, there should still be plenty of Western Australian interest. Four former Perth players have been called into preliminary squads for their country. No, Andre Gumprecht won't be facing the Socceroos with Germany, nor did James Robinson receive a surprise call from Fabio Capello.
All Whites Jeremy Christie and Leo Bertos will possibly be joined by Nikita Rukavytsya and Jade North as ex-Glory representatives in South Africa. The group will be hoping to join Ivan Ergic as players to play in a World Cup subsequent to playing Perth Glory, and hopefully our fans will wish them all the best in taking the club's name to the world. Of course, Stan Lazaridis, Mile Sterjovski and Samson Siasia all did their best international work before landing themselves at the Glory.
As well as the group of former Perth Glory players at the Cup, 2010 might just see a significant boost in WA-raised players performing on the world stage. Joining Inglewood United product Rukavytsya in Australia's preliminary squad are one-time Bayswater City keeper Brad Jones, former ECU Joondalup duo Rhys Williams and Shane Lowry and Richard Garcia who spent time at Olympic Kingsway and Balcatta before joining the West Ham youth academy.
With Jones, Williams and Rukavytsya near-certain to make the final 23-man squad WA will have seen an improvement on 2006 when only Stan Lazaridis and Ivan Ergic (who was based in Perth when picked up by the AIS who made a fine Serbian international player out of him) represented the west. ECU Joondalup can be especially proud of their products. The club, which was founded as recently as 1992, has become somewhat of a factory for WA talent and should be applauded for their achievements.
2010 looks like the first World Cup that will feature a Western Australian wearing Australia's green-and-gold on the field. That's something every proud Sandgroper should look forward to cheering on!
