Then there were two. As much of the Socceroos’ ‘Golden Generation’ settles into the history books, Tim Cahill and Mark Bresciano continue to force new entries.
The pair and Mark Milligan remain the only two players still standing from the fabled 2006 World Cup; a new wave ushered in at the behest of Ange Postecoglou.
One of Australia’s greatest eras ended quite abruptly as Mark Schwarzer, Harry Kewell, Brett Holman, Lucas Neill and Luke Wilshire faded from the international spotlight, for various reasons.
The Socceroos headed to Brazil last year with a tailor made excuse to under-perform. Instead, it was the two veterans responsible for inspiring the contrary – Cahill front and centre with two memorable goals, Bresciano patrolling the midfield with his usual class.
Once again, the pressure will be on Cahill when the Socceroos’ Asian Cup campaign kicks off against Kuwait on Friday. He has long shouldered the goalscoring burden, bagging 10 international goals in 2014 alone. While the likes of Tomi Juric, Nathan Burns, James Troisi and Tommy Oar will be expected to step up this month, Cahill will be at the heart of Postecoglou’s attacking plans.
The benefit of having ample attacking options – including a front three of Robbie Kruse, Oar and Mathew Leckie – should allow Cahill to take more of a back seat than usual, but there is no shame in admitting he remains our most important player.
The 35-year-old’s movement off the ball makes him a constant nightmare for defences and Cahill has made it clear that he has no intention of handing over the baton just yet. Although it’s something he appears to be doing with his protege Terry Antonis.
Their long-term bond is a sign of both Cahill’s durability and the character he brings to this Socceroos side. A team in transition had cried out for leadership at the World Cup and the former Everton man delivered in abundance both on the pitch and off it.
There has never been any doubt over Cahill’s commitment to the Socceroos cause, his stature further solidified by his arduous preparation for the Cup.
“All I said was that I wanted a chance,” he told News Ltd. “Sometimes you need to know when to walk away, but I wasn’t ready to walk away.
“I made a decision to take my training regime to another level and it’s showed. I monitored my training, what I ate, every minute. I’ve got stricter with my diet, you need to as you get older. I’m 75 kilos – that’s how much I weighed when I was 17 and I joined Millwall.”
He could be lining up alongside another ageless teammate against Kuwait. Mark Bresciano has been a constant in the green and gold since making his debut against France in the 2001 Confederations Cup.
While he doesn’t have Cahill’s legs, the 34-year-old duly covers up the ground with one of the most talented football minds this country has seen and a first touch that gets fans weak at the knees.
In Brazil, Bresciano proved his vision is a step ahead of the rest and his ability to split a defence will make him a firm part of Postecoglou’s plans for the Asian Cup.
The Socceroos’ congested midfield stocks mean Bresciano will face stiff competition for a starting place, but he has potential to thrive alongside Massimo Luongo, James Troisi or even Nathan Burns in front of Mile Jedinak.
We have been hasty in hitting the panic button of late and become obsessed with finding replacements for the ‘golden generation’, but we should instead relish the fact that we have two brilliant players to call upon for the Cup.
After all, it could prove to be a swan song for Bresciano, who has conceded he will consider his international future following the tournament.
And you can bet he will be determined to go out with a bang.
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