TWG: What has it been like in the Socceroos camp, getting together at the start of a campaign aimed at the 2018 World Cup finals?
IF: It's been great. The games against Germany and Macedonia were the last time we were together and we're all supporting each other on this long road to Russia. Everyone's training well and we can't wait until the game on Tuesday night.
What about Ange Postecoglou, has he said a lot to the group and you individually at this stage?
He has said a lot to the group. It's about continuing to do what we've been doing, which has brought the team success this year, and the importance of starting off well in this journey. He hasn't gone into detail individually yet, but I'm sure he'll be doing a lot of talking in the 48 hours before the game.
What do you find normally happens in these camps? Are there sometimes individual sessions and at other times no need for a focus on that?
It's always more of a collective thing. It's important every player pulls his weight and everyone has done that in this camp. So far it's been the best preparation you could want for a first qualifying game.
In the wake of the Asian Cup success in particular, there must be a lot of respect and a good feeling among the players when you get together now.
Definitely. When you see the boys you're always excited and looking forward to catching up with the stories and getting out there and training with each other. The recent results have been a big reward and they prove that all the hard work is paying off.
It's a bit cooler in Bishkek, where you are now, compared to Dubai, where you were at a training camp until the weekend. How did you handle the 38-degree days there?
Personally, I love the heat. I grew up in Brisbane, where it was very humid, so I enjoy it. It was very humid in Dubai - we weren't leaving the hotel much except for training.
When you found out who you were playing in the opening qualifier, did you have to look at a map to find out where Kyrgyzstan was?
To tell you the truth I didn't know exactly where it was. I knew it was near Russia, so I knew roughly where it was. I didn't look at a map, but they told me it was going to be a four-hour flight from Dubai.
Before arriving, what did you know about the country of Kyrgyzstan and the city where you're going to play?
Not much, but I'm always excited to see a new part of the world and I'm looking forward to getting out there and playing.
You've been to a lot of different countries as a footballer. You like to get out and experience the country a bit if you can, don't you?
Yeah, it's always good seeing the world, but most importantly it's about football and playing well and getting the result we need. It was always a dream of mine to play for my country and hopefully I've got a long career left at this level.
You've got a really young newbie in the squad this time around with 18 year-old Danny De Silva. How has he been?
He's been doing very well. He's a very exciting player and a huge prospect for the future. He's definitely a mature person beyond his years and he has taken pretty naturally to being in this camp. He's going to Roma after this and he deserves the opportunity. It's a great move for him and hopefully it works out well.
How do you feel about being back in the A-League with Melbourne City and having your future sorted out?
It was a long and hard decision on what to do and for the next couple of years I've come back to the A-League and I'm very happy about that. Signing with a go-ahead club like Melbourne City is something special.
It's always difficult for players when they go overseas and things don't work out as they would like. It must have been tough for you towards the end in Russia, not getting paid by your club. That would be last on the list of things you want to have to deal with, wouldn't it?
Yes, but I don't regret going to Russia at all. It was a tough time, but I missed both pre-seasons which cost me dearly because I was sure I was good enough to play there. It is what it is and obviously when we didn't get paid, a few players - and I was one of them - decided to leave and find a new club.
That is just another experience in life, hey?
Yeah, exactly. I'd go back to Russia for the right opportunity. It's a great league and now I know more about the league over there, so no regrets there at all.
How cold was the coldest day for you in Russia?
I think the coldest it got to was minus 18. There was snow and the field was rock-hard and icy, but we still trained in it - dressed up warm and got out there. It was a different experience and I still enjoyed it.
What was Russian TV like?
I never really watched it. All the shows were in Russian - the English shows were dubbed with Russian voices - so I couldn't understand them. I just watched a bit of football here and there.
Who is the most fun in the Socceroos squad? Who keeps things buzzing?
It's always good listening to Jason Davidson and Tim Cahill. They've got a lot of stories they don't mind sharing. They've each got a good sense of humour and they keep us entertained. They're both good guys.
If you could be anyone in the world for a day, who would it be?
Probably Jean-Claude Van Damme. I used to watch a lot of his action movies when I was younger. It was always good entertainment. I imagine it would be fun, being in one of those movies.
If you had unlimited cash to go anywhere in the world or buy anything you wanted, what would you do?
I'd probably buy a yacht and go to the Croatian coast and relax for a month or so in the summer. I love going there - it's just a beautiful place.
What do you do to get yourself in the mood before a big game, or do you have to do nothing at all?
I do nothing. I just relax all day and don't really think about the game. I just treat it as another day until the game comes and when I get to the stadium I switch on and go through my preparation. I listen to some music before the game, but it's always different.
There's no particular type of music I have to listen to - it's just to keep me relaxed. I don't have to listen to AC/DC or anything like that to pump myself up.
Ange said in a recent interview that he wants the Socceroos to qualify with a purpose from this point on and not to be satisfied with just getting to the World Cup finals, but do it as the first step. You, as a player, must love that philosophy.
Oh, definitely. We want to do it in the best possible way. It's very important we make a statement and ideally the boys want to do that by going out there and winning every game. We want to produce great performances and make the Australian public proud of the team. We don't want to go to the World Cup just to make up the numbers - we want to go as far as possible and try to win it. But, most importantly, here at the start, we want to focus on Tuesday night's game against Kyrgyzstan.
You probably just half-answered this question, but do you believe the day will come when the Socceroos go deep into a World Cup finals?
I definitely believe so. Anything's possible. The ball is round and it's 11 players per side and Australia is developing as a nation in football, so I think each World Cup will only get better and better for us. Hopefully it will happen during my time as a Socceroo and we'll qualify for the next World Cup with purpose, like Ange says, and do very well in it.
