Ben Garuccio not giving up on Socceroos dreams, hopefully with both arms attached
Ben Garuccio would ‘cut his arm off’ for the chance to become a Socceroo but with Tony Popovic showing a willingness to cast his net wide it may not come to that for the in-form Western United skipper
Ben Garuccio would ‘cut his arm off’ for the chance to become a Socceroo, but with Australia’s stocks at left-back looking potentially thin and Tony Popovic showing a willingness to cast his net wide, it might not come to that for the high-flying Western United skipper.
After dealing with groin and calf injuries to start the season, Garuccio made his return to United’s XI at the start of January and hasn’t looked back, starting all six of his side’s fixtures in 2025 as they surged into third place on the A-League Men table off the back of a run of ten games with just a single defeat.
Getting up and down his flank, the 29-year-old has registered four goal involvements across his past four games, grabbing assists against Melbourne Victory, Newcastle, and Macarthur in addition to scoring from a free kick against the Central Coast Mariners.
While Aziz Behich appears secure in his place in the national team, there are fears that Jordy Bos, who started November’s draw with Saudi Arabia, tore his hamstring against Standard Liège last weekend, with scans still yet to determine the damage. Elsewhere, surgery has ended Jacob Farrell’s season at Portsmouth, while Kye Rowles’ MLS season won’t kick off until February 23. Potentially, the door has been left open for the likes of Garuccio, Callum Elder, Jason Davidson, Joel King, or Jordan Courtney-Perkins to press their case.
“I'd be lying if I said no,” Garuccio said when asked if he still hoped to be a Socceroo. “Because that's been the thing missing in my career. I think there have been moments in my career where my performances have maybe deserved more recognition in terms of the national team.
“Look, it's not my job to say whether I should be there or not, but I certainly believe in my ability. For me, the only thing that I can control is my performance, so I'm going to keep going and try to do the same thing as I've done. I'm not going to be trying to do more because there might be a potential call-up for me.
“I just try to play football every week and play the best that I possibly can. If I can do that and that lands me in the national team, that'd be amazing. It would be more than amazing. I'd cut my arm off for it, to be honest. But if it happens, then great. If not, I'll keep going about my business the same way that I do, and hopefully, we can do something special here with Western United.”
Perhaps boosting Garuccio’s chances of a maiden call-up is that Popovic has shown a willingness to tap into the A-League Men’s veteran cohort since being appointed to the role, calling Jason Geria, Luke Brattan, Rhyan Grant, and Anthony Caceras into squads across his three windows.
Geria, Brattan, and Caceras had one cap between them before the change in leadership with the national team, while Grant hadn’t featured since 2019 before his call-up for the November window. But with Popovic emphasising his demands for elite performance and elite mentality in his squads, all were tapped to feature in recent months.
“For me, the best players at that point in time should be in the national team, whether they're playing in the A-League or they're playing at another level,” the defender said. “If you're playing, you're playing well, and you're in great form, then you're going to have the confidence to go in there, and at that point in time, you'll be the best player for the moment.
“In the past, there's been a select group that is probably picked more often than not. For me, that was hard because there were moments where there were other players that were probably doing just as well, if not better, and weren't involved.
“But as I said, I'm just a player. The coaches, I'm sure, will do their job. I know Popovic, [Hayden] Foxe, Paul Okon, they've been at nearly all the A-League games, so I'm sure they're watching very closely. I'm sure they know who is in good form and who's in contention for that camp. I hope that I can put my hand up in the best way possible.”
Of course, if Garuccio is looking to press his case for the March window, then the coming fortnight should provide him with a strong stage; United is hosting league-leaders Auckland FC on Saturday evening, before second-placed Adelaide visits Ironbark Fields the week after. Help shut those two foes down, and not only will third-placed United have gone a long way towards closing the gap at the table’s summit, but their captain will have bolstered his case for international recognition.
But strong opposition is a double-edged sword, and if the side from Melbourne’s west falls in the coming weeks and Garuccio proves unable to help contain the likes of Guillermo May, Logan Rogerson, Dylan Pierias, and Zach Clough, then it could be a heavy blow for both of their aspirations for the rest of the year.
Also key for John Aloisi’s side will be taking their chances, having done enough against both the Central Coast and Macarthur in recent weeks to earn all three points, only to be forced to settle for one after proving unable to convert.
“I think the more worrying sign is when you're -- sometimes even getting three points -- not creating that many chances, and knowing deep down that you're not really dominating games,” said Garuccio. “The last two games, Central Coast are a good team, especially away from home, and Macarthur are another team that has got great players. To dominate them that much, especially away from home [against Macarthur], is a massive confidence boost.
“Probably in the last couple of years here at Western, if we had played like that away from home, we would have been absolutely buzzing. But the standards that we've kind of set for ourselves so far this year mean that it feels like two points dropped, and it is two points dropped. We’ve got to get back to being ruthless in front of goal and hopefully getting those three points.”