World Cup dreams loom as Nisbet plots future

Off-contract Central Coast Mariners and Socceroo midfielder Josh Nisbet has sought Graham Arnold's advice as he plans his future, with his dreams of featuring at a World Cup playing on his mind.

PERTH – Taking advantage of the opportunities afforded to him by a second Socceroo callup – one that saw him make his second appearance in green and gold against Bangladesh on Thursday –  off-contract Josh Nisbet has sought the advice of Graham Arnold as plans the next step in his career. Unsurprising, really, given his dream of playing in a World Cup and establishing himself as a Socceroo will play a role in determining his next move. 

Nisbet’s contract with the Central Coast Mariners came to an end at the conclusion of this year’s A-League Men grand final, with the 24-year-old capping off a trophy-laden 12 months in blue and yellow by helping to drive his side to a come-from-behind, 3-1 win over Melbourne Victory. 

With Nisbet playing an irreplaceable part in it all, that triumph saw the Mariners secure back-to-back Australian titles as well as a treble of championship, A-League Men Premiership and an AFC Cup. On an individual level, the one-time Buderim Wanderers’ junior was named the Johnny Warren medalist as the 2023-24 season’s best player, adding to the Mariner medal he’d taken out the season prior.

To some extent, despite hardly having touched his prime, there’s little more for Nisbet to win in Australian football. 

It was little wonder, therefore, that his future became the subject of much speculation. Possessing Italian heritage, a move to Europe became increasingly mooted as the campaign wore on, especially when midseason reports of a deal with Melbourne City were walked back. Nisbet, for his part, emphasised finding a situation that would be a good fit in the aftermath of the grand final, saying there was little point jetting off just to sit on the bench.

And a few weeks on, speaking ahead of the Socceroos’ World Cup qualifier against Palestine on Tuesday evening, he acknowledged that establishing himself as a regular in the Socceroos squad was a factor in his decision-making process – albeit just one aspect. 

“It does a little bit,” he said. “Especially when you've got the World Cup coming up in a few years. It's something you dream of as a kid, you want to be there. 

“Meeting a few requirements to make sure that you can get there, you'll do that. But I think the most important thing is playing and making sure I enjoy my football and hopefully, everything else will take care of itself.”

Now, recent history would suggest that being in the A-League Men – and being with the Mariners – shouldn’t provide an impediment to playing in a World Cup. Arnold called three players from his former side up for the 2022 iteration of the tournament in Qatar – Danny Vukovic, Jason Cummings, and Garang Kuol – the joint-most of any Australian side. And the defending champions aren’t resigned to losing Nisbet, either.

“All the players in the team, and Nizzy is one of them who we want to play at the highest level.,” Mariners boss Mark Jackson said after the grand final. “We'd love him to still be here with us. I need a conversation with him.”

However, Arnold has also consistently bemoaned the lack of games that the Australian top-flight plays since he assumed the mantle of Socceroos boss, as well as the long offseason that it observes. The latter was a point he raised last month, saying that with the next slate of qualifiers set for September – the next A-League Men's season won’t start until October – it will be difficult for him to pick domestic players for that window.

And given the increasing competition for places in the squad and the slowly but surely increasing number of Australians making their way into major overseas leagues, any absence from the national setup could prove costly. 

“Arnie and I have had a few conversations regarding my future,” said Nisbet. “He's pretty supportive of whatever I do. He understands. He's given me suggestions and we'll go through there. But yeah, he knows what he's doing. 

"You've got players playing at a higher level than I am currently [in the Socceroos camp] and to be able to mix with them and develop and learn and even play alongside them, you're going to pick up things that are going to improve your game. 

“So any opportunity in the Socceroos is a great learning curve and one I want to keep pushing for.”