Hearts keen to sign Adelaide left-back Ben Garuccio

It's Scotland though.... 

What’s everyone’s preferred way of determining national league rankings?

Just stay at Adelaide lad

Mmm more of the anti-Scottish rubbish - a huge number of our best players have played there and it’s been great for their careers.

Not to mention their coaching education system is admired around the world with many of the world’s best going there to get badges.

Funny, Maclaren scores there and many are frothing he should be in the national team. Yet tey’d almost not finished their last sentence about shite the league is...

@ tsf

Fair enough, but who’s been to Scotland and gone on to bigger/better things?

I’d guess it’s no worse than other European leagues tbh

My comment was tongue in cheek. Scotland has served our players well. My only concern is if they do well they get bogged down there and don't go up a grade.

Vidmar and Moore were served very well by Rangers.

Very true tsf, nearly every Australian player who has played in Scotland, has gone on to have a excellent career in Europe,  Viduka, Kisnorbo, Irvine, Rogic, Moore,  Vidmar, Scott Mcdonald, Mooy, the list is a long one.
If I was advising a young Australian player where in Europe to go first, it would be Scotland , for starters Scottish teams play a lot of young players  and even the best team Celtic regularly have 6-7 players under 21 each week.
This move for Ben would be great,  play in front of 18k each week, high pressure games and the ability to put himself in the shop window. 

Whatever people think of Scotland, it's a step up for Garuccio which is probably what he is most concerned with

Nearly every player that went there. 

Mark Viduka went from Celtic to Leeds and went on to play 240 matches for 3 EPL sides, including a Champions League semi

Craig Moore went from Rangers to Borrussia Monchengladbach and Newcastle United

Tony Vidmar went from Rangers to Middlesborough

Aaron Mooy went from St Mirren to the EPL (with an Australian detour)

They don't really want him if you look at the hearts forum.
It is a step above the A league though. Hearts finished 6th on the table.

scotland has its fair share of shit. having one team roll over everyone is a bit lame.

but the game is improving there again. and it's a step up from australia.

Seriously??

Can’t believe he’s still only 22! Feel like he’s been around the A-League forever

Would be a great move for the bloke - good on him.

This ^^^

End of the day, we're at a stage in our football development where we can't afford to be picky anyway. If Garuccio leaves for Hearts and plays every game, that helps develop both Garuccio AND the bloke who Adelaide sign to replace him. The more players playing overseas, the better it is for development because it opens up more spots here in Australia (which are hideously restricted atm). Not to mention it's easier for English clubs (Championship and EPL preferable) to scout the SPFL than it is the A-League.

Garuccio with a little more development may prove to be a very useful player for the national team given he has the genuine ability to play either side of the defence. That doesnt necessarily say he is better than the current options in either side, what it does allow though is flexibility when picking squads

And that is just a few of the Australian's, not counting other nationals.

In recent times there has been the likes of...
Virgil van Dijk (who now is the highest transfer fee spent on a defender).
Victor Wanyama.
Fraser Forster.
Ki Sung-yong.

Going back a few more years and the likes of...
Aiden McGeady.

Didn't Viduka play for Dynamo with the President's help? Then onto Celtic.

Yes.

Would be good to see him back at his original club

Even if the team itself is no better than Celtic (or even if it is worse), the teams you are playing against are far better than the teams Celtic are playing against.

The biggest difference between the A-League and SPL is not so much skill levels as it is intensity levels . 
We play in summer so training and playing is modified to suit that .
In Britain the colder climate allows for a much more intense training and playing regime.
Also ,the football culture in Britain is so much stronger than here. This immersion in a football fanatical society has benefits for Aussie players . Here there is no great media or fan attention. Players can exist in relative anonymity. Not so in Scotland.There they are under far more scrutiny and therefore more pressure.
They are also under intense competition for game time .
Every player trains like they play so as to impress.
This hardens them .
In my experience British players ,whilst not neccessarily better technically, are far more aggressive on the pitch. They don't ever play socially, football is a game to be won ..at all costs .. Aussie players need to learn this mentality..and that can only happen by being immersed in it .
I think Aussie footballers have much to gain from some time in the Scottish and English leagues .  

What ? 15 years ago 

Unless its Celtic, you shouldn't go to Scotland

^ yeah. Also correlates to the time when we started to have players stay here instead.

Which also correlates to the period with our players ability has gone downhill.

Jackson Irvine went to Scotland, played at Kilmarnock then Ross County, then Burton payed a record fee for him in the English championship and then sold him to the just relegated Hull City.
Garrucico can develop in Scotland and you never know where it will lead to. 

Personally I dont rate Ben but rather than stay in Australia would be good to go to Scotland and you never know.  Didnt realise he was only 22.

ding ding ding

In that same period the A-league has prepared players for Belgium the Netherlands EPL and Bundesliga