It’s been a while now, but working with Guus Hiddink and Johan Neeskens at the 2006 World Cup must have been a big highlight for you. How much did you know about them before then?
Not too much about Johan. With Guus, I learnt a little bit about him through Archie Thompson. He coached Korea in the World Cup in 2002, so I saw him there. But I didn’t realise how good he was until I actually worked with him. Johan was really a top guy and really looked after me while I was over there, and gave me lots of advice.

Did you realise at the time how big it was to be in Germany with the national team?
While I was over there it was just a complete blur for me. The first time we came into camp was in Melbourne before the World Cup when Australia played Greece. I was roomed with Adrian Leijer, and we just looked at each other and said “what the hell are we doing here?” Everyone was really supportive of me and the younger boys.

In the first game against Japan, that’s when it really hit the spot for me I reckon, just seeing how well they did, and all the support they got from all the Australians that were at the game. Flying home after the game I was like, “oh my god. What was I just doing there?”

Did any of the players look after you, like Johan did?
Yeah, me and Adrian went to Everton in 2004 for a trial, and Tim Cahill was over there, so we knew him already. He was one of the best, because he’s kind of like a big kid. When he saw us, he just came over and gave us a big hug! Also, Lucas Neill is a great leader on and off the park, so he is also stuck in the memory bank for inspiration.



Ernie Merrick’s used you mainly from the bench this season. How would you describe your year?
It’s obviously disappointing because all you want to be doing is playing week-in week-out, but when you’re not doing that and the competition’s at the pointy end, it makes you think about what you’re doing wrong. At the same time the team is doing awesome, but it’s obviously disappointing when you’re not playing.

How do you see your own role in the team going into the finals series? Is it something you talk with Ernie about?
I’m not sure at the moment. Because we’ve got a lot of depth in the team, the coach has a lot of options to use, so it’s up to him how he wants me to fit into that. We’ve got Asian qualifiers coming up for the Under-23s so we [he and Leijer and Vince Lia] might actually miss one or two games in the finals series.

What position do you prefer to play?
I like to score goals. I like to be in the midfield, and get the ball playing forward… and hopefully get a free-kick or two and score those.

Reproduced from TheFull90 – the official matchday magazine of the Hyundai A-League www.a-league.com.au Get it at the game!How much effort do you put in on your free-kicks?
I started to really practice them when I was about 14 at the VIS. When I’m at training I might do between 50 and 100.

Who do you rate as the best free-kick taker in the world?
Probably David Beckham or Ronaldinho. The amount of times Beckham can hit a perfect ball, I don’t think anybody else in the world could do that.

Are you still learning from some of the senior guys at Melbourne?
Kevin Muscat is a great inspiration to us young boys at the club. He’s always on our backs the most, because we’re the youngest, and we will listen to what he has to say.

Who do you hang out with away from the game?
I live with Adrian Leijer. I get to see Archie and Kevin a bit as well, because Kevin lives just around the corner, and Archie is a bit immature and we muck around a lot!

Which players did you look up to as a kid?
I still like John Barnes. Harry Kewell and Steven Gerrard, I look up to both of them as football players.

I guess that makes you a Liverpool fan...
Yep!



What part of your game are you working on at the moment?
You can always work on every part of your game. At the moment I’m working on getting into the first team and just getting into goal scoring positions!

Got any pets?
I think I’m getting a fighting fish for Christmas off my sister. I want to get a few Japanese fighting fish!

Are you much of a reader?
I read FourFourTwo. We get it through the PFA. Sometimes I read the paper. I go straight to the back pages and work my way to the front.

Are you interested in any sports other than football?
I don’t mind watching AFL and the NRL. I reckon you could describe me as a fan of Collingwood in the AFL and the Melbourne Storm.

Reproduced from TheFull90 – the official matchday magazine of the Hyundai A-League www.a-league.com.au Get it at the game!