CUP PAIN ... OVER AND OVER AGAIN

Q You were part of three qualifying campaigns but never made the final squad. Does that hurt?

A More so for 2005 and 2013 where I was part of those final (qualifying) games and we celebrated qualifying for the World Cup and then you find yourself sitting and watching the World Cup in 2006 and 2014. Every player wants to go to a World Cup but you can only learn from those failures and it builds your character for the future. In 2006, I was back in my hometown in Cairns and I was going through a political mess with FIFA and my Romanian club so it was a very unsettled time. That was really hard to take as a 22year-old. It’s not something you want young players to go through.

Q You played with some absolute legends of Australian football. Who stands out most?

A Mark Viduka (pictured) was a massive presence, a great leader, a great guy, very down to earth, a great sense of humour and to play games with him was an unbelievable achievement. A guy of that stature to be so humble, that’s great character.