Jackson Irvine is on the other side of the world captaining St Pauli in the German Bundesliga, but the Subway Socceroos star still follows the Isuzu UTE A-League closely.
A former Melbourne Victory youth player, Irvine has gone on to forge an incredible career abroad with the likes of Hull City, Hibernian and now iconic German club St Pauli while amassing 72 international caps.
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The 32-year-old is in Sydney for Australia’s 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup qualifier against Indonesia on Thursday.
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“I watch a lot of the A-League to be honest,” Irvine told reporters. “Especially on the weekend mornings before games and stuff, when I wake up.
“Sometimes I FaceTime with my dad and we watch a game together, like while we’re having breakfast or something. It’s something nice that we do.
“There’s obviously a lot of players performing at a very high level. That’s always the same. It’s the same in Europe as well. It’s great to see that we’ve got a lot of Australian players at home and abroad that are performing at the top level and are in conversation to be a part of this group.
“The reality is only 23 or 26 will be selected and that’s football. Patience has got to be a thing for a lot of people. You just got to wait for those opportunities when they come.
“I know for myself, after my first call-up, it was about two and a half years until I got my second. That’s sometimes how football can be, and the game owes you nothing. You got to earn everything that comes for you.”
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Asked about Victory star Teague and A-Leagues graduate Nectar Triantis, who is now starring abroad with Hibs in Scotland, Irvine said: “They’ve both been exceptional this season.
“Been really impressed with both. Watched a lot of them, both of them this year, and listen, they’ve got abundance of ability and confidence in the way that they take the ball in the middle of the park. It’s great to see.
“For myself, probably just bring that bit of experience and being able to understand aspects of the game that come, that only come with with time, because there’s a lot of things that those guys are doing already that someone like me is not going to be able to teach them.
“It’s more about understanding your role and being able to gain management things like that. But been really impressed with both, and looking forward to being on the park with them.”
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