Isuzu UTE A-League duo Lucas Mauragis and Keegan Jelacic have been called into the 23-player Subway Olyroos squad set to compete in the 2024 U23 Asian Cup in Qatar.
Melbourne City loanee Marco Tilio has been ruled out of the tournament with a quad injury; he’s replaced by Brisbane Roar’s Jelacic, while Jets full-back Lucas Mauragis comes in for former Adelaide United midfielder Louis D’Arrigo who has been made unavailable by his Polish club Lechia Gdansk.
Mauragis and Jelacic join a strong Olyroos squad featuring fellow Isuzu UTE A-League players Jake Hollman (Macarthur FC), Nicolas Milanovic (Western Sydney Wanderers), Lachlan Brook (Western Sydney Wanderers), Nishan Velupillay (Melbourne Victory), Ryan Teague (Melbourne Victory), Jordi Valadon (Melbourne Victory), Patrick Beach (Melbourne City), Callum Talbot (Melbourne City), Cameroon Cook (Perth Glory), Jordan Courtney-Perkins (Sydney FC), Jake Girdwood-Reich (Sydney FC), Jacob Farrell (Central Coast Mariners), Alou Kuol (Central Coast Mariners) and Mark Natta (Newcastle Jets).
The Olyroos began assembling in doha for the tournament on April 8, ahead of three Group A games against Jordan (April 15), Indonesia (April 18) and Qatar (April 21).
A top-three finish in the 16-nation tournament would secure the Olyroos a berth at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with the fourth-best finisher set to play an AFC-CAF play-off match for the final qualification place.
Olyroos head coach Tony Vidmar explained the two changes to his squad as he welcomed both Mauragis and Jelacic into the camp.
“We had been in discussions with Lechia for some time about Louis’ availability for this tournament, unfortunately they’ve decided that he’s required to remain in Poland,” Vidmar said.
“We understand and respect the position of the club, and I’ve made my frustration at the timing of this tournament, and its impact on player availability known for several months.
“That being said, it’s certainly disappointing to have things change like this at the last minute, when all our preparation had been done on the proviso Louis would be available.
“I’m very happy for Lucas, he’s been excellent for us over the last 12 months and this call up is a great reward for that.”
Subway Olyroos Squad – AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024
| NAME | CLUB | JUNIOR FOOTBALL CLUB |
| Patrick BEACH (Gk) | Melbourne City FC | Glenmore Park FC / Football New South Wales |
| Lachlan BROOK | Western Sydney Wanderers FC | Gawler Eagles FC / Football South Australia |
| Cameron COOK (Gk) | Perth Glory FC | Vikings FC (Football Northern Territory) |
| Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS | Sydney FC | Newmarket SFC / Football Queensland |
| Jacob FARRELL | Central Coast Mariners FC | Wyoming FC / Football New South Wales |
| Jake GIRDWOOD-REICH | Sydney FC | Sydney Olympic FC / Football New South Wales |
| Steven HALL (Gk) | Brighton Hove & Albion FC (Youth) | Para Hills Knights SC / Football South Australia |
| Jake HOLLMAN | Macarthur FC | Seaforth FC / Football New South Wales |
| Jacob ITALIANO | Borussia Monchengladbach II | Inglewood United FC / Football West |
| Keegan JELACIC | Brisbane Roar FC | Rochedale Rovers FC / Football Queensland |
| Alou KUOL | Central Coast Mariners FC | Goulburn Valley Suns FC / Football Victoria |
| Garang KUOL | FC Volendam | Shepparton SC / Football Victoria |
| Lucas MAURAGIS | Newcastle Jets FC | Merimbula Grasshoppers FC / Football New South Wales |
| Nicolas MILANOVIC | Western Sydney Wanderers FC | Sydney United 58 FC / Football New South Wales |
| Mark NATTA | Newcastle Jets FC | Sutherland Sharks FC / Football New South Wales |
| Alexandar POPOVIC | Gwangju FC | Adelaide Comets FC / Football South Australia |
| Adrian SEGECIC | FC Dordrecht | Lidcombe Waratah Junior SC / Football New South Wales |
| Callum TALBOT | Melbourne City FC | Gymea United FC / Football NSW |
| Ryan TEAGUE | Melbourne Victory FC | Maroubra United FC / Football New South Wales |
| Mohamed TOURE | Paris FC (loan) | Croydon Kings / Football South Australia |
| Jordi VALADON | Melbourne Victory FC | Glen Eira FC / Football Victoria |
| Nishan VELUPILLAY | Melbourne Victory FC | Endeavour United SC / Football Victoria |
| Rhys YOULLEY | KVC Westerlo | Marconi Stallions FC / Football New South Wales |
