Brisbane Roar midfielder Matt McKay began the 2010/11 A-League season with the reputation of being a pretty handy footballer, but wasn’t considered a superstar of the league. All that was about to change – and at a rapid rate.
Following the departure of Craig Moore, McKay was handed the captain’s armband at the Roar, a sign of the respect new coach Ange Postecoglou and his Brisbane team mates had for the then 27-year-old.
Under Postecoglou, who has overseen a remarkable change in the Roar’s fortunes, McKay has blossomed from a decent footballer to a key member of both Brisbane’s team and the Socceroos midfield. Who will be the next A-League player to follow in his footsteps?
Close followers of McKay will hardly see his sudden rise in fortunes as a surprise, after all, McKay has always displayed immense talent. He was part of Brisbane’s foundation squad in 2005 and made is Socceroo debut back in 2006 in the 90th minute of Australia’s Asian Cup qualifier against Kuwait.
While this was an incredible launching pad for McKay’s professional career, he still wasn’t considered good enough to earn a regular spot in the national team’s squad, thanks largely to Pim Verbeek’s reluctance to choose A-League players in his squad.
For the next two years, McKay went about his business in the A-League, earning the tag Mr Dependable thanks to his ability to string together consistently good performances.
He was finally rewarded with his second Socceroo call up in 2009, this time for the game against Indonesia as part of Australia’s qualifying campaign for the 2011 Asian Cup.
Again, McKay failed to hold down a spot.
He did receive more regular international selections, however, was overlooked by Verbeek for the 2010 World Cup squad.
The Queenslander didn’t let his head drop though, and soon began to see his good performances in the A-League rewarded by new national team coach Holger Osieck, who included McKay in his squad for the Asian Cup in Qatar.
McKay featured in every game in some way or another, coming off the bench in the tournament’s early matches before a suspension to Brett Emerton handed him the chance to tie down a starting spot on the team sheet.
McKay grabbed the opportunity with both hands, putting in a stellar performance against Iraq in the quarter finals and then holding his place in the side with an impressive performance in the semi final against Uzbekistan where he was voted the best player on the park.
Subsequently, he started the final and another decent performance in the defeat to Japan must mean he has a good chance of being a regular starter under Osieck.
Unfortunately, McKay’s story is relatively unique as there aren’t many examples of players rising from the A-League to become key Socceroo members.
The other A-League players in the Asian Cup squad were Jason Culina, who didn’t play thanks to injury, Jade North, who didn’t receive much game time and Robbie Kruse, who played well when given the opportunity and made an appearance in the final.
However, his success at the tournament isn’t comparable to McKay.
Perhaps the only other members of the Asian Cup squad who held a regular spot, played well and have featured in the A-League were defender Sasa Ognenovski, formerly of Adelaide United and Mile Jedinak, formerly of the Central Coast Mariners.
Having said that, they weren’t selected because of their success in the Australian league which makes McKay’s achievements all the more impressive.
The next major international tournament Australia hopes to participate in will be the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
By the time that tournament comes around, many of Australian football’s ‘golden generation’ will have retired. Harry Kewell, Mark Schwarzer, Lucas Neill and Brett Emerton will most likely have moved on, opening the door for the Socceroo’s next generation of stars.
Who in the A-League at the moment has the potential to step up like Matt McKay has?
Here are my tips:
Nigel Boogaard (24 years old): Boogaard is a promising defender who currently plays at Adelaide United. At the age of just 19, Boogaard was signed by the Central Coast Mariners for the inaugural A-League season. He made 55 appearances for the Mariners before signing for Adelaide United in 2009.
He has represented Australia at U/17 and U/23 level and could feature for the senior team in their qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup if he can impress in the A-League.
Rostyn Griffiths (22): Griffiths is a defensive midfielder who started his professional career with English Premier League side Blackburn Rovers after developing through their youth system. Despite the fact he didn’t make a senior for the Rovers, he still gained valuable experience playing on loan for Gretna and Accrington Stanley. He returned to the A-League in 2009 and has since played for Adelaide United, North Queensland and the Central Coast Mariners.
Chris Payne (20): Formerly of Sydney FC and North Queensland, Payne has signed a contract with the Newcastle Jets next season. The young striker has international experience with Australia’s under age sides and should he break through at the Jets, could be in line for a senior Socceroo debut. At just 20 years of age, Payne has a bright future ahead of him.
Adrian Leijer (24): The man most likely to replace Kevin Muscat as Victory captain next season is also a likely Socceroo starter in the future. Between 2007 and 2009, Leijer spent time with English Premier League side Fulham where he captained the reserves and also made his one and only senior Socceroo appearance against Singapore.
His consistency at the heart of defence has made Leijer a favourite amongst Victory fans and has put him in good stead for a successful international career.
Erik Paartalu (24): Paartalu has played as defensive midfielder in the all conquering Brisbane Roar side this season. As a team mate of Matt Mckay, Paartalu has seen firsthand, the success that can be gained by playing well in the A-League.
He has played overseas in Scotland for Gretna, Stirling Albion and Greenock Morton, making over 100 appearances across the three clubs over four seasons before returning home to play for Brisbane.
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