New Zealand friendly the last chance saloon for Aussie fringe players
* Doug Conway
* From: AAP
* May 21, 2010
MONDAY'S farewell friendly against New Zealand looms as the last clear chance for fringe Socceroos to impress coach Pim Verbeek before he wields his World Cup selection axe.
And there's a lot of blood-letting to do.
Verbeek must hack his 31-man squad back to 23 by the start of June.
Monday's MCG showdown against the All Whites is the last-chance saloon for eight players and not all of them will get game time.
Verbeek is still weighing up how much to use the match as an opportunity to experiment.
But the time for experimentation is running out, as he must name his final squad by June 1.
That's the day Australia plays the first of two warm-ups in South Africa, against Denmark and the US, ahead of the Group D opener against Germany in Durban on June 13.
"It's not about being a good or a bad player," says Verbeek.
"It's about the balance - how many midfielders, strikers, defenders do you take, what is each player's best position, how versatile they are."
The Dutchman has already decided on the three goalkeepers he will take to South Africa, plus 17 of the 20 outfield players.
In other words, the remaining 10 outfielders in camp in Melbourne are vying for three spots.
Competition is so intense that some Socceroos could play their World Cup at the MCG.
Others might not even be that lucky.
Fringe players like Mile Jedinak are bursting to stake their claims, even for a back-up berth.
Jedinak, who is in a tussle with Carl Valeri to play understudy to Vince Grella in the main defensive midfield role, tries to focus on himself and forget about the competition.
"I think everyone just goes about their business training hard and giving themselves every opportunity," he said.
"Carl is a great player who has done exceptionally when he has come in.
"I try to worry about my own business.
"People say it's between me and him but I try to focus on myself and hopefully I can stake my claim like that.
"The New Zealand game is a good opportunity for everyone to press their claim and try to impress the coach if his mind is not made up, which I'm sure it's not."
Asked if he had any inkling about the starting line-up, Jedinak said: "If you know anything could you tell me because I've got no idea."
Verbeek won't be risking Harry Kewell and must decide whether to give a hit-out to other players who have had injury problems, including Grella and Mark Bresciano.
He must also decide on who to try up front, big man Josh Kennedy or Scott McDonald, or perhaps both at different times.
New Zealand striker Rory Fallon has injected a lot of feeling into the game by stressing the Kiwis won't be holding anything back and there could be injuries as a result.
Jedinak agreed with Fallon one point.
"There is no such thing as a friendly game, I believe," he said.
"We will be taking the game seriously."
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/world-cup-2010/new-zealand-friendly-the-last-chance-saloon-for-aussie-fringe-players/story-fn4l5n4r-1225869774032