What did you think when you heard Utrecht were interested in signing all three of you?

When I first heard, I felt pretty excited. As a footballer in Australia, one of your dreams is always to come to Europe and play professional football. I was also quite surprised because all three of us came over on trial and I’ve never heard of any club signing all three players from the same team. I thought maybe they would take one of us, or at the most two if we were lucky, but to take all three of us was pretty incredible. And I’ve been enjoying my time here.

For a player who isn’t that well known at home, you’ve played the most games out of all the Aussie lads. Are you surprised?

When I came here I didn’t expect to be in the first team straight away and playing week-in, week-out. It was always more of a long-term move for me but to be fair, I have been surprised how much I have been with the first team so far this season. I’ve played eight or nine games and two of those I’ve started and I only thought I’d make the bench a couple of times this year. To be part of the team so much has been a bit of a surprise for me. The coach plays me in defensive midfield and sometimes in attacking midfield, so I move between those two positions when I’m asked to do a job.

What kind of style does Utrecht play?

It’s a very technical game here. They encourage you to hold onto the ball a bit longer and try to play your way out. I like the style of football here and it suits my game. I’ve found it a lot more intense here too. There’s the added pressure of relegation that you don’t have in the A-League, where you can lose every game during the season and still be playing in the league the following year. Here, you have to make sure you’re concentrating in training every day and never switch off. We do a lot of one- and two-touch training sessions and it makes the sessions so much quicker.

A highlight for you must have been being called up for the Socceroos for the Germany game. How did it feel making the bench?

It was great but also a little strange too that my first Socceroos experience was in Germany because I used to live there for two years in Cologne. I used to stay with a family so I gave them some tickets and they came to watch the game. They’re kind of like my second family so it was great to see them. Living in Holland, it’s only maybe a two-hour drive to where they live, so whenever I have a day off I’ll drive to them straight after training and stay the night with them. Having them so close has been good.

There was some talk that Poland were interested in you. Was there ever a possibility that you would have chosen to play for them?

For me, it was always going to be Australia, because the majority of my family are all Australian. My dad is Polish, so that’s the connection, but my family and friends are all in Australian and I’ve pretty much played all my football there so there wasn’t really any decision to play for another country.

Well, we’re happy with the choice too! Holger Osieck has shown faith in young players. That must give you confidence as you try to establish yourself with the Socceroos?

I think it’s a great time to be a young player in Australia with a coach who has confidence in playing young players if they’re doing well at their clubs. For example, there’s another young player, Brent McGrath, who made his debut for the Socceroos so the coach is proving that he’s willing to give people a chance. It also gives you confidence to know that it doesn’t matter how old you are, if you’re playing for your team and you’re good enough then you’ll get your chance.

You’re coming to the end of the season now. What’s the plan for the next few months?

I’d like to get a few more games under my belt for Utrecht – that’s where I’m concentrating all my efforts at the moment. If I get selected to the Socceroos again then that’s great but I’m concentrating on my club. I’m also looking to head back to Australia during the off-season. It’s good to take some time at home, not just as a rest for the body but also mentally, so you can slow down and stay with your family.

This article appeared in the June 2011 issue of Australian FourFourTwo magazine. To buy back copies of this issue call 03-8317-8121 with a credit card to hand.

The current edition of Australian FourFourTwo has just gone on sale in newsagent across the country, or you can subscribe here