Opinion
The Socceroos’ midfield is looking competitive ahead of the World Cup in November.
With Jackson Irvine performing week in and week out for St Pauli, Aaron Mooy getting quality minutes in Glasgow, and Riley McGree becoming a household name in Middlesbrough, Australia could be spoilt for choice.
With selection not guaranteed and injuries potentially becoming a factor, one other person should have a ticket to the Arabian Gulf already booked.
Jake Brimmer simply must go to Qatar in November.
The Melbourne native excited A-league fans when he became a Perth Glory player in 2017, considering his youth level experience with Liverpool, however he was slightly underestimated.
Described as an ‘all action’ midfielder upon arrival in Perth, he only managed to play just over 1300 minutes for the West Australian outfit in his first two seasons, without providing an assist or goal for one of the best Glory sides we’ve seen.
While both minutes and contributions increased when Brimmer moved back to his hometown team in Melbourne Victory, an abysmal season for the navy blues in 2020-21 saw him again fly under the radar.
It must be said that his playing style didn’t go unnoticed by anyone who watched that truly horrible Victory side, but many may be forgiven in thinking that his 2021-22 player of the year campaign came out of nowhere.
When Popovic arrived in Melbourne, Brimmer was given the opportunity to play a more advanced role in the Victory midfield and was encouraged to express himself, as any young player should be.
This resulted in five goals and seven assists, establishing himself as one of the A-League’s brightest stars, leading to multiple Asian and European clubs enquiring about the 24-year-old’s availability.
However, Brimmer cited personal reasons for staying on at the Victory.
His dynamic presence will surely be considered for upcoming international friendlies in New Zealand and the World Cup. He can produce eye-catching moments on a much higher stage than the domestic game.
While Tom Rogic will hopefully soon find a suitable team, Brimmer is almost a like-for-like replacement as he is superb on the ball, with an extensive passing range, and can score from anywhere within 35 yards.
A good performance in Qatar immediately, followed by a brief transfer window, would surely convince Brimmer that his immense talent is far beyond the A-League, and an opportunity will be ready and waiting.
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Even though St.Pauli ultimately lost a high-scoring affair, Jackson Irvine was a standout, as well as scoring a late goal.
What if we celebrated all of the achievements big and small, and weeded out those hell-bent on bringing down a game that is doing a hell of a lot right?
A good performance from Michael Ruhs, scoring twice to beat Macarthur and doubling his season goal tally in the process.
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