“When he turns up and shows it on the day he’s one of our best players and best assets.” That was the assessment of Tom Rogic by his Socceroo teammate Tomi Juric. Rogic, after struggling to impose himself in Australia’s World Cup opener against France in Kazan, sparked a fightback in their second match in Samara as the green and gold secured a vital draw.
The No 10 has often been seen as someone who does the business for his club but not his country. The line of thinking often goes like this: he’s a luxury player, he never turns up for the Socceroos, he doesn’t work hard enough, he’s overrated, he goes missing, he’s injury prone, he doesn’t have the engine to be an elite player, he drifts in and out of matches, he can only dominate a mediocre league such as Scotland’s.
Rogic’s vast skill-set and kit bag of tricks are not in doubt but his mentality and athleticism have been, at least on the international stage, in the eyes of many. Five years at Celtic have landed him three Scottish Premiership titles in a row, three Scottish Cup titles and two Scottish League Cup trophies. He has become a cult favourite at Celtic Park, banging in 30 goals in 133 appearances. The 25-year-old has built a stunning highlights package of screamers, particularly against the club’s bitter rivals Rangers.
But in contrast his international career has yielded seven goals in 39 games. Apart from two against Bangladesh in 2015 and another double against Tajikistan in 2016, along with a goal and an assist against Germany in last year’s Confederations Cup, Australia are yet to see the best of him. He has yet to take a match for his country by the scruff of the neck and boss it like he does at Celtic.
Australia’s first match at the World Cup, a 2-1 loss to France, reinforced the stereotype. Rogic was marked out of the game and had little to no impact. He was hustled and harried constantly by Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kanté and Corentin Tolisso. Some critics called for him to be dropped for the Socceroos’ second tournament encounter with Denmark.
Rogic answered those calls in perfect fashion. He was one of Australia’s best as they came back to draw 1-1 after Christian Eriksen’s strike. The attacking midfielder was busy from start to finish in his 82-minute stint, creating chances, shooting from distance and setting up teammates. Only a goal was missing from the Canberran’s classy performance.
“I think there was patches where he did exceptionally will,” Juric said. “I think that’s some of the qualities that we expect from Tommy. When he turns up and shows it on the day he’s one of our best players and best assets. I hope he can continue to produce that against Peru.
“You have to understand oppositions study our games and look at shutting down our qualities. Against France it wasn’t one of his best games, maybe. People will analyse the game and see those things – they shut it down and made it difficult for him to do what he does best. I think there was parts in this game where he what he does well. I hope he continues against Peru and maybe he can be a game-changer for us.”
Enigma, potential match‑winner, talisman, often Australia’s most frustrating player. Socceroo supporters expect more from the playmaker of Serbian heritage than from his teammates because of his abundant talent. Growing up on a diet of futsal, Rogic took a unique path to the World Cup. Overlooked because of his lack of athletic ability, the lanky attacker entered professional football only after catching the eye at a Nike competition.
Bert van Marwijk is a noted supporter of Rogic, who shuns media attention and rarely does interviews. Australia’s manager was asked after how he rated the No 10’s display against Denmark and he said simply: “I was satisfied with Tommy.”
With Australia needing to defeat Peru in Sochi to stay alive in the World Cup, the stage is set for Rogic to star. The midfield maestro can earn a place in Australia’s sporting heart forever, and end any doubts over his quality, by engineering an emphatic victory.