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The  former Beijing Guoan striker’s brace against Melbourne Heart caught the eye on Sunday in a timely reminder of what the five times capped Socceroo has to offer.

After a frustrating start to his career at the Hunter club with shoulder surgery hampering his output and lacking in fitness early on, Griffiths has stormed back after a strong off-season.

And after a recent meeting with Osieck, Griffiths at least knows he’s now being watched again – unlike in China’s Super League.

“Of course I’d love to play for them [the Socceroos] again. It was hard to get noticed over in China because not many people watched that league in Australia,” he told au.fourfourtwo.com.

“I’ve already spoken to him [Holger] at the Olyroos game… he seemed really honest and wasn’t saying I’d get a chance. He said, look, if I play good, I may get a chance.

"And it’s simple as that. And it’s the way it should be. So I’m just glad he’s just come over and spoken to me and let me know where I stand.”

The 30-year-old is also happy with external expectations of the Jets who’ve been written off by most pundits for the finals.  

“It’s good that people don’t rate us. I guess that’s giving us more desire to win,” he said.

Griffiths, who spent eight years overseas playing in Romania then China, has had to adapt like his teammates to a new coach in interim boss Craig Deans.

While the club continues to search for a new man, Deans is retaining the structures that were put in place by axed coach Branko Culina.

And Deans has been impressed by Griffiths’s qualities.

“He’s a very driven person, he’s a very good footballer and his work-rate and work ethic was brilliant on the weekend and that rubbed off on some of the boys,” he told reporters.

“He’s a proud person and he’ll want to have a good season  I think on the weekend that was the start of it.”

For his part, Griffiths is excited at what the future holds and happy the season’s actually started after the longest ever A-League off-season.

Griffiths added: “It was really, really long so I guess that’s why there was so much excitement about the first game.

"I remember I looked at Tarek [Elrich] and said, ‘This is it, we’re gonna play, it’s finally starting'.

 “It’s been fantastic so far [under Deans]. He just tells us don’t test him because he doesn’t want to become that guy who gets pissed off at us for taking the piss out of him. Everyone’s respected that and so far so good.

“If anyone does get out of line, the likes of Jobe Wheelhouse and Kasey Wehrman, they’ll get stuck into whoever decides to do that.”


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