To see the fans at the stadium...


The 18-year-old has dismissed the notion he could be a bolter for the World Cup squad after an impressive debut against Indonesia in Wednesday night's Asian Cup qualifier.

Oar awoke to to a bevy of pun-laden headlines in his honour after national coach Pim Verbeek lavished praised on the talented teen, one of Australia's best in the 1-0 win.

Should he decide to read the media's take on his maiden Socceroos showing, the zippy winger will recall fluent runs down the left flank, a couple of quality crosses that were unlucky not to be rewarded with goals, and the fact he won the free-kick that set up the only goal of the game in front of a 20,422-strong crowd at his home ground.

Verbeek's admiration and refusal to rule Oar out of contention for South Africa will more than likely encourage some pundits to call for his inclusion in the World Cup squad - a bandwagon former Roar and Socceroos coach Frank Farina has been driving for some time.

And yes, there will be even more comparisons with iconic legend Harry Kewell.

Considering only a year ago there would have been only a few outside of the Brisbane Roar faithful that recognised his talent, it is the sort of atmosphere that would make it difficult for any man to remain level-headed, let alone one that lives with his parents.

However in Oar's case, the stunning amount of air being pumped into his tyres fails to ruffle the mild-mannered teenager.

"Not at all," a composed Oar responded when asked whether he harbours any thoughts about an unlikely trip to South Africa.

"I've only played in 20-odd A-League games and one game for Australia, so there is no need to get ahead of myself.

"I don't think things can happen too fast, but they can turn around really quickly, so I've got to keep working hard and make sure it doesn't stop ... because one injury or a couple of bad performances and everything will turn around."

Oar added he had no trouble keeping a lid on his own expectations, and showed as much when he attempted to dismiss the alleged likeness with Kewell.

"I think that's very premature to be honest," he laughed. "When he was my age he was playing against Manchester United, not Indonesia - that speaks for itself.

"The Harry Kewell comparisons aren't really coming from the people whose opinions I really look at like Pim and Ange (club coach Ange Postecoglou), so I'm not too fazed by that kind of stuff."

Roar midfielder Matt McKay, who added a spark to the Socceroos when he came on in the second half against Indonesia, has carefully watched the rise of Oar from humble beginnings, and could not be more proud of the A-League's young footballer of the year.

"It was good to see him get 90 minutes in and he did really well, I love to see him attacking players, and he did that again," McKay said.

"I was coaching at QAS (Queensland Academy of Sport) while he was in the team, and to see him grow up has been great. I roomed with him for this camp on the Gold Coast and I've seen him grow up from the last camp in Kuwait.

"It's a privilege for me, I'm 27, I see him and he's only 18 but he's going to be huge in the game, and I can say I started with Tommy Oar.

"He knows he has a long way to go ... he's not going to play excellently every week - it's a bit of pressure, but he'll be fine, he can handle it."

Oar's progress will take another major step in the coming weeks when he joins Roar team-mates Michael Zullo and Adam Sarota on a post-season trip to the Netherlands where they will have the chance to train with Dutch giants Feyenoord.

"Going overseas for a couple of weeks will help me develop and mature as a person, and the football over there is obviously of a very high standard, so hopefully I'll come back sharp," Oar said.

"I'm still contracted to the Roar for one more year - I'm just going to take things as they come, I really am not sure at the moment."

Oar pointed to a 'few silly fouls' as one of the areas he could improve on, but was generally pleased with his debut.

"I was pretty nervous before the game and I don't think I started off too well, but as the game wore on I got into it a bit more," he said.

"The boys spoke to me early in the first half and said 'be confident and get at them' - so I suppose I just tried to do that and luckily for me it worked out a few times."

To see the fans at the stadium...