To see the Mariners latest training session...

The Mariners goalkeeper was due to meet up with his Olyroo teammates in Townsville today for a training camp and will be joined there by four of his Bluetongue colleagues.

Among them, Dean Heffernan who has been invited along to help keep his fitness levels high as he continues an impressive recovery from the broken leg he sustained back in December.

The duo, along with Matt Simon, Mile Jedinak and Nigel Boogaard, are all being put through their paces by Graham Arnold this week.

Vukovic spent the first three days of the week training with the Mariners though, under the watchful eye of Tobin at the club's Jubilee Park base.

He was put through a tough session on Wednesday before departing north to resume international training duties.

Tobin, the Mariners Development Manager, is delighted to see Vukovic smiling again and hopes the young keeper will go on to enjoy a big season for club and country.

He told au.fourfourtwo.com: “It’s a great relief for him. The Olympic Games is something special, it’s a one-off.

“To have sat that sort of suspension out and miss the Olympics, you’d feel for the guy first of all but you’d wonder what [impact it would have] for the rest of his career?

“In terms of his confidence, no doubt. To sit out for that long and miss out on that opportunity would have affected anybody."

He added: “Danny is a very strong character and I think he would get over most hurdles.

"But as far as football disappointment goes, that’s one of the largest hurdles you could do – perhaps worse than a very serious injury. So I’m glad he hasn’t had to go through that sort of mental strain.

“This is a big load off his mind. From the Mariners point of view we’re obviously happy to have such a quality keeper involved and looking forward to a very big season for him.”

Another Mariners player smiling again is defender Dean Heffernan and the fact he has been invited to the Townsville camp, despite being short of a return to full fitness shows just how highly regarded he is by the Socceroo coaching staff.

Tobin said: “From a (Socceroo) left full back point of view, David Carney has played there and played particularly well but he may argue that he wants to be a left-sided midfielder and probably would prefer to play there.

“Having a left-footed left back is in the plans of a lot of coaches around the world and I’m sure Pim Verbeek is no exception.

“If Dean fits into that equation then great, I’d love to see that happen. He’s been dreadfully unlucky. A broken leg, however, isn’t what it was 15 or 20 years ago.

"He’s four months out but now back doing a beep test and doing particularly well. He’s not at full fitness yet but he’s getting there.”

Tobin is delighted that the Townsville camp will contain such a healthy Mariners contingent.

He said: “As a club you’re always more likely to be in the limelight for national team representation when your team is going particularly well. Those players all deserve their chance and hopefully they can grab it with both hands.

“The extra training and the quality there will help their development. We don’t see it as all down to us. If other people can get involved in getting our players to another level, then great. It’s something we would always encourage. We want ambitious players who want to play for the national team.

“For a club that started with no-one involved in the national team, we’ve five guys currently involved, that’s a great credit to everyone involved.”

To see the Mariners latest training session...