Queensland Roar coach Frank Farina is confident of seeing Craig Moore in the orange and maroon guernsey again at some stage after the 32-year-old underwent surgery for testicular cancer on Tuesday.
Farina believes Moore, who has had to pull out of Australia’s world cup qualifier against Bahrain in Manama next week, will be served well by his renowned resilience during his recovery.
“He’s in pretty good spirits,” Farina said. “From last week when he got the news he’s been super positive.”
“He’s a very impatient person and he’s a bit bored at the moment.”
“I think his first question to the doctor was ‘when can I play football again?’ He’ll fight this and I know his character and he’ll get through it.”
“He’s talking about (in) two weeks’ time playing. He’s pretty optimistic but that’s the person he is. When he gets back on the field it’ll be the Craig Moore of old, no doubt.”
Moore was diagnosed with the condition last Thursday but chose to delay surgery in order to take on the Melbourne Victory last weekend – an act of mental toughness that Roar chief executive Lawrence Oudendyk described as ‘a great gesture’.
“His health’s paramount,” Oudendyk said.
“Craig’s been our captain for the last 18 months. He’s a great leader (and) we wish him well for a speedy recovery.”
Moore returned to the Socceroos team last month after announcing his international retirement in February.
