Portsmouth favourite Adrian Segecic addresses 20,000-mile round-trip to Australia only to suffer Socceroos selection snub
Adrian Segecic was handed his maiden senior call-up for the Socceroos earlier in the month - although the Pompey favourite didn’t play any part in Tony Popovic’s squads to face New Zealand.
Adrian Segecic believes his first Socceroos camp was a huge success despite failing to feature in either Ashes tie against New Zealand earlier this month.
After an excellent start to the season, which saw the 21-year-old net two goals in his opening two Championship contests at Fratton Park, the forward was rewarded with a place in Tony Popovic’s side for the September international break.
The Aussie sensation was an unused substitute for their 1-0 triumph in the first leg of their clash against the All Whites.
However, Segecic was surprisingly left out of the 23-man squad for the return contest in Auckland, with the Pompey favourite watching on from the stands as his Australia team-mates claimed a 3-1 victory.
Despite the blow, Segecic has insisted he used the recent camp to gain valuable experience on the international scene and is hoping to be rewarded with a second call-up for next month’s camp.
Adrian Segecic on Socceroos absence
He told The News: ‘It was the coach’s decision. It was my first time with the first team so it was a learning curve for me more than anything and hopefully next time I can get on the park.
‘It helps having a few boys I know and a lot of the boys I played with 10 years ago that are there so it’s good to have some familiar faces there.
‘It’s a long travel obviously but it was good for my first time, experiencing meeting all the boys there as well.
‘It was a good experience for me and hopefully next time I get to experience making my debut for my county.’
Tony Popovic on Adrian Segecic
Despite this, Popovic left the 21-year-old out of the second-leg contest against New Zealand and called for patience as the young talent’s career kicks into gear.
Speaking during the latest camp, the Socceroos boss said: ‘Coming to camp is the recognition for what you’ve done at your club.
‘But that doesn’t also necessarily equate to getting a cap. We’re not going to go through the list and say: “okay, these players are remaining now that haven’t got a cap – let’s just put him in”. It doesn’t quite go that way.
‘They have to be patient, and if the opportunity presents (itself), I’m open to giving all of them an opportunity.’
‘It’s still very early stages in his club career.
‘They’re all young boys that have come in for the first time and we’re really assessing to see where they are now.
‘It’s not to predetermine where they’ll be in camps to come, or in six months time when hopefully all these boys have another 30-odd games under their belt, hopefully injury-free, experiencing the intensity of training and needing to back up in Europe under pressure.’