Injury-hit McGree desperate to press Socceroo case
As he presses his case for selection for next month’s crucial World Cup qualifiers at an Abu Dhabi training camp, snakebit Socceroo attacker Riley McGree says his body is “starting to come good.”
Few players have proven as snakebit as Riley McGree in recent years, but, as he presses his case for selection for next month’s crucial World Cup qualifiers at an Abu Dhabi-based training camp, the Socceroos attacker says his body is “starting to come good.”
Injury restricting the 26-year-old to just 25 starts across the past two Championship seasons, McGree was able to log just 24 minutes for Boro since New Year’s Day, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1-0 loss to Millwall before suffering yet another injury and missing the last four matches of the Championship season.
These absences extended to the national team setup, with the South Australian absent from the squad that defeated Indonesia and China in FIFA World Cup qualifiers during the March window; Hibernian attacker Martin Boyle and Melbourne Victory winger Nishan Velupillay getting the nod to start in both fixtures.
A regular presence, when fit, in the Socceroos setup since his 2021 debut, this dearth of club football has denied McGree a chance to press his case for selection in crucial qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia next month – Australia holding a three point and nine goal buffer over the latter in the race for automatic qualification.
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However, a lifeline and one final opportunity to impress Tony Popovic and his staff when he was selected for a pre-window training camp in Abu Dhabi – the South Australian touching down this week eager to demonstrate that his body was cooperating and able to play some kind of role in the coming weeks.
“Personally, it's always an honour for me to come into camp,” he said. “My body, I've been working hard for a long time to try and try and get it right. And it's starting to come good. Hopefully, I can stay on top of it and keep progressing and get to where I want to be.
“It's obviously frustrating being out, not being able to do what I love. For me, the best part about it is that I can put my head to the pillow at night knowing that I'm doing everything I can to stay fit and be fit. If I'm doing that, then that's all I can ask from myself and everyone around me. That's the main thing.
“These next nine, ten days, personally for me and for everyone here, are to prove a point and to prove to myself that I'm fit. To prove to the coaching staff and my teammates that I'm fit and that I'm capable of performing and hopefully contributing in the best way possible.”
While the nature of McGree’s most recent knock was described as “a small issue” by Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick, the club did send the midfielder to a ‘specialist’ in its aftermath, searching for a potential underlying cause of his consistent injury woes.
“We’re trying to get to the bottom of if there is something underlying that we can nip in the bud, if that’s what’s causing the other issues, without disclosing too much because I don’t think it’s right to do that,” said Carrick.
Signing a new, four-year deal to remain at Teeside last Summer, McGree’s importance to Boro, when fit, is well documented. But as fans of the club have dryly observed, extended periods of fitness have proven frustratingly fleeting over the past few years.
Nonetheless, Carrick backed McGree at the end of the season — saying “there’s no extra pressure on Riley in that regard” — and McGree reiterated from Abu Dhabi that he saw his future as being tied to the Riverside Stadium.
“My commitment will always be from a club point of view, to Middlesbrough, and I'm happy where I am,” he said. “I've created a great little lifestyle there with my little family, my dog and all my teammates and the coaching staff.
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“I’m happy to be where I am, I'm always willing and capable of giving my best and putting my best foot forward and trying to get the club to where I believe and where most of us believe that they should be – which is in the Premier League.”
Though deployed higher up the park in his most recent appearances for the Socceroos -- serving as an inverted winger in Popovic's system -- and exclusively deployed on the left at clubland during his rare appearances this season, McGree was listed as a midfielder in the announcement of the Socceroos squad.
And while his attacking profile would likely require some tweaks to the overall setup and require the right partner, it’s not out of the question that he could shape as a possible replacement for the injured Jackson Irvine in the centre of the Socceroos midfield come next month.
“That's obviously not my call to make, but, personally, I'm happy to play anywhere,” Mcgree said. “If I'm told to play in goals, I'll play in goals. So anywhere on the pitch would be great.
“There's an edge [in camp], kind of with everyone. We're all trying to prove that we want to play and we want to put our best foot forward and be the best version of ourselves.
“I don't think it's just up to the young players to prove themselves; even the senior boys, day in day out, are trying to prove themselves. Nothing's guaranteed in football, your place is never guaranteed.
“It's important for all of us to have that mindset, so that we're pushing and driving each other to raise the bar and the best possible standards come game time.”
Header Image: Football Australia/Socceroos
