By Richard Cann

There have long been calls for your selection. What do you think has finally got you into the Australian squad?
I’m not too sure – a lot of hard work. From my personal point of view, it’s been a matter of trying to do as best I could for Newcastle and let everything else happen. I’m really happy but there’s still a long way to go.

How have you found settling into the Socceroos squad?
I’ve played with a lot of them in the younger national sides and at Olympic as well, so it’s good to catch up with them. Archie’s the clown – he was brilliant on Rove this week.

What do you need to do to stay in the Socceroos side?
I think it’s really hard when you are playing in the A-League with the amount of games you play – it’s only 21 games. The games are actually quite hard and at a very good standard but it makes it a little difficult for us boys, because we’ve only played 21 games, compared to the 40 or 50 games the European boys play. We haven’t played for a while.

How have you kept fit?
There’s nothing like playing in a game, I believe, to get you match-fit. It’s the best form of fitness. It’s very different, training and playing. Everyone knows that and that’s where the A-League is really lacking – not having competitive matches all year round.

Nothing a few laps of the oval at Socceroos training wouldn’t fix…
I’d prefer to get on the pitch for a bit of five-a-side.

Have you had any match practice recently?
I’ve been lucky enough to play a few games for Sydney Olympic and you can really feel the difference. It’s been really good for getting me match fit, and at a decent standard.

Do you take it easy to protect yourself from injury?
No, you can’t do that. I would rather get injured rather than not play the right way. The opposition teams have been really good about it, and haven’t gone after me.

What attracted you to the A-League?
I’d already been back from France for a year and a half [when the A-League started]. I just thought it would be a great opportunity. There was a lot of hype about it and I think it really has taken off.

So will you be a Jet for much longer?
Look, I’ve got four years left up at Newcastle but I’ve made it publicly known that I would like to get back to Europe. At my age if I do want to be play for the Socceroos I do need to be playing overseas. Although the A-League has really helped my career out, if I want to further my career I need to head overseas. But as if it doesn’t happen, I’m more than happy to stay at Newcastle because I love it up there. Me and my wife and little Bubs enjoy life up there and I enjoy playing in front of such big crowds. The Newcastle crowd is a very good crowd.

Does having a young family affect any move to Europe?
I’ve got a wife and child and it’s a lot harder on them. But at the end of the day, where there’s a will there’s a way. It’s possible and it’s actually not too bad because he’s only eight months old and if I wanted to do it, now would be the right time, before he starts school. But all the boys [players] over there have families and it’s not a problem. My little boy’s been on three plane trips already [he’s eight months old] and he’s enjoyed it. We were really worried that he’d get earaches but he’s fine.

Is Milton Rodriguez coming back to the Jets?
I don’t know. It’s all in the club’s hands at the moment. We’re been having our break now so I haven’t heard much in the last few weeks because I’ve been staying in Sydney. I spoke to him a few times before he went back overseas but since he’s been in Colombia I haven’t had a chance to speak to him. But look, he was very keen to come back. It’s a matter of him and the club coming to an agreement, I guess.

If Milton doesn’t return and with Vaughan Coveny heading over to Wellington Phoenix, you’ve lost a fair bit of goalscoring firepower…
Yeah but we’ve still got [Mark] Bridge and [Joel] Griffiths. Bridge was just sensational for us last season. And Griffo was great. He’s so passionate and he’s exactly the same at training as he is on the pitch.

Do you get kept in the loop about club signings?
I think it’s more up to the clubs. There are certain clubs and certain people who like getting the players’ opinions. They chat with their older boys and see what they think of signings. But at the end of the day it’s up to the club and the coaches to decide on the players they want to bring in.

Do you see yourself as a leader with the Jets?
Yeah, but I take the view that the best way to lead is on the field.

What’s Paul Okon’s influence on the side? He didn’t have a great start to the year, did he?
Okes is brilliant. Having someone like him in the team is great. And he played really well. I think he got a lot of unfair criticism, especially after the own goal [against Queensland Roar in round two], the media got on him a bit. But if you actually watch the games, he was brilliant. All the boys know how good he is.

It ended up being an amazing season for the Jets after such a slow start…
Gary van Egmond did such a brilliant job for us. It was unfortunate for Nick, but Gary was great. I think the formation he played really suited the team that we had.

Off the field do you find yourself being recognised a lot now?
I do in Newcastle – it’s such a small place that I do get recognised. It’s been good because it’s not over-the-top. People are just really friendly to me. Last season was amazing in Newcastle – the crowds at the games just got bigger and bigger.

Where would you take a visitor to Newcastle?
Scratchleys On The Wharf, or Little Swallows Restaurant in Hamilton. They’re my two favourite eating spots. Newcastle’s not too bad for food. You could take them down to the beach or down to the bay. You’re five minutes to the beach, five minutes to the bay. Everywhere’s fairly close up there and you don’t get your Sydney traffic – I really enjoy that part of it. Everyone’s so laidback and relaxed up there.

I hear you like your fishing. Do you get much time to take your boat out?
I had a boat but I got rid of it because I didn’t have enough time for it. My brother-in-law’s got a boat up there, so my boat wasn’t doing much at all. But I really enjoyed it when I had it. I just wish I’d got more use out of it!