Juric waiting for his time to strike

When you're waiting for a legend to step aside, patience has to be a virtue – and it’s a feeling Australia hitman-in-waiting Tomi Juric knows all too well.

Juric

Tomi Juric is ready to lead the Socceroos line in the future Source: Getty Images

After a protracted resolution to his club future, the former Western Sydney Wanderers marksman is making all the right moves with new club Roda JC in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Juric has scored twice in his last three games for the club he joined in mid-August and he is slowly sharpening his fitness and appetite for success.

But the 24 year-old knows that with fabled finisher Tim Cahill still delivering at the venerable age of 35, any succession plans he, or the Socceroos team management may have, will remain very much on hold.

Juric, who missed the last two FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Bangladesh and Tajikistan while he settled in at Roda, will grateful for any match minutes he can muster on Friday morning (AEDT) against Jordan in Amman, as Australia chases a fourth successive Group B win.

“We all obviously know that Timmy is big part of the Socceroos and Australian football, not many have done what he’s done and it’s just great to be here and learn from somebody like that," Juric said.

“Hopefully, I cement that spot afterwards, when he has decided what’s best for him and when that’s done maybe I can jump in and fill that spot as best I can.

“For me, at the moment, it’s all about learning, and when I get a run on the park to just do my best.”

Juric certainly has potential and has shown glimpses of what he might bring when he gets an extended run in the team, like the twinkle-toed footwork on the touchline in January’s AFC Asian Cup final when he came off the bench to set up the extra-time winner against Korea Republic.

For now, though, he is content to study Cahill at close quarters and hoover up every ounce of knowledge, while hoping he is used at some point by coach Ange Postecoglou during the course of the 90 minutes at the Amman International Stadium.

One of Juric's biggest tests in his new Netherlands base has been playing on an artificial surface which is causing havoc with his recovery time.

"They say it takes time to adapt … at the moment I am not liking it but I am sure I’ll get to the point where it’s fine,” he said.

“It takes longer to recover from games than you’d expect. Other than that it’s okay to play on.”

Settling in has been made far easier by the presence of fellow Australians Rostyn Griffiths and Daniel De Silva, the former Perth pair, with all three arriving within a month of each other.

“The fans have banners saying ‘Aussie Power'  and when we go round after a game clapping and you see Australian flags - its good to have that support," Juric said.

"The football is different. I don’t know if it’s a massive jump from the A-League, but it is certainly a step up.

“The technical ability is there … even the defenders and midfielders, in all positions, can play football. It's how they’ve been taught from a young age.”

Asked whether it was a relief to have his future settled after six months of speculation during which time he was linked with a plethora of clubs, Juric said: “A lot of the stuff that came up in the media, I’d never even heard about half of it.

“For me, now I want to get settled and concentrate on my football. I was never concerned because I knew what was going on.

“Everything from my side was fine but a few things came up in the media and I didn’t hear about half of them.”

“The coaching staff here have eased me into the sessions. It hasn’t been a tough transition into training and so far the team is doing pretty well.

“We're sitting ninth after the weekend result (a 1-1 draw) and we have more to offer than where we are at the moment and we can definitely do better."


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4 min read
Published 6 October 2015 10:03pm
Updated 6 October 2015 10:45pm
By David Lewis

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