So if I call you the next Harry Kewell are you going to smack me?

[Laughs] To be honest I don’t really think too much about it. To label anyone ‘The next…’ is a bit unfair because everyone is their own player with their own strengths and weaknesses. If I have a good game, all of a sudden I’m great and if I have a bad game then all of a sudden I’m the worst. You can’t affect what people say about you. I think where the praise was coming from wasn’t from the people who mattered to me at the time.

What struck you most about the Dutch approach to the game when you arrived?

I’ve noticed that the mentality over here is a lot different. In Australia, it’s more physical and that comes through in the training as well. Here they value technical ability a lot more and you rarely see someone really get stuck in at training. There’s a mutual agreement with the players that although you train very hard, you save the more physical aspect of the game for the opponent. There’s none of the flying tackles that you might see in training in Australia. Technically it’s another level to what I experienced in the A-League with Brisbane.

The biggest game you played in this year has to be against Liverpool in the Europa League. What are your memories of that night?

I’ve always watched Liverpool since I was little as my brother is a big fan. So to be playing against them, especially at Anfield, was surreal. Those are the kind of games that you make the move to Europe to be part of, to compete against the best players in world and to play in famous stadiums in front of passionate fans.

You were a late call-up to the Asian Cup squad. What was it like to be one of the new boys in the team?

I didn’t come into the Asian Cup squad completely new as I’d been a part of the World Cup train-on squad, so I knew what to expect. It was great to be a part of a successful campaign and I think we played amazing football throughout the tournament. There was a great vibe around the team and it was awesome to be a part of that. I think when I first went into camp I was a little intimidated by the situation. First of all you’re representing your country and you don’t really realise how big that is until you meet up with all the other players and coaches. Now it’s a bit easier, as I’ve been lucky enough to be in a few camps with the national team so I don’t really see it the same way.

With Holger Osieck as the new coach are you confident you can kick on and grab a regular spot in the national team?

Definitely. If you look at a lot of the mainstays in the Socceroos starting XI, in the next three years many are going to retire. And that’s going to leave a lot of openings in the team and I think it’s time for a lot of the younger players to step up and try and fill those roles. After the next World Cup I think it’s going to be a big test for my generation of footballers to try and be as successful as the current group of Socceroos.

And what’s next for you, going into the off-season and looking ahead to next year?

My next goal is the Under-20 World Cup in Colombia. It’s a pretty big competition and it would be great for Australian football if we can perform well in that. I’m hoping I can do well personally, as well as the team, and then take that form into the new season with Utrecht and get more games under my belt in Holland.

Finally, did you get a chance to watch the Brisbane Roar win the Grand Final?

I did. My brother was over visiting and we woke up early on Sunday morning and watched it on my laptop. It was unbelievable. Of course, I still know most of the boys that won the final and I’ve chatted to a lot of them about it. I was really happy for what they achieved but I have no regrets about missing out. As much as there was a part of me who wanted to be there, to win a Grand Final and be part of the celebrations, I know that I made the right decision to come to Utrecht. If I didn’t come here then I wouldn’t have had the chance to play against Liverpool and test myself in one of the top European leagues.

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.

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