The door remains open, Tony Popovic insists. Even as another young talent chooses to play elsewhere.
Adrian Segečić, a Portsmouth attacker who represented Australia at under-17, under-20 and under-23 levels, switched his international allegiance to Croatia earlier this month. The 21-year-old received his first senior call-up under Popovic for September's window against New Zealand, but did not feature in either match and has not been recalled since.
For some, it signals a broader problem with Australia's football culture: young players departing for rivals when they don't immediately win caps. For Popovic, it raises a simpler question.
"If you're getting called up for Australia through the junior levels, and then you get called up by the Socceroos, shouldn't that be enough that you're wanted?" Popovic asked reporters this week. "I don't know what else I'm supposed to do."
His frustration carries a point worth considering. Segečić acknowledged the difficulty of his choice, saying "It wasn't easy to make this decision because I grew up in Australia" but that "my family is from Croatia and I feel a connection to the Croatian people". Under FIFA rules, once Segečić is fielded in a match by Croatia, he is unable to switch back to Australia.
The Segečić situation is hardly new. Midfielder Nectar Triantis attended a Socceroos camp before switching to Greece, and has since debuted for Greece. Italy youth international Cristian Volpato knocked back Graham Arnold's approaches ahead of the 2022 World Cup. These defections underline a delicate reality: not every player eligible to wear the Australian jersey will choose to do so.
Yet Popovic's selection of three uncapped players for upcoming friendlies against Cameroon and Curacao suggests he's unflinching about the challenge. The squad includes 18-year-old central defender Lucas Herrington, 28-year-old striker Deni Juric from Wisla Plock, and 25-year-old attacker Ante Suto of Hibernian, who has never set foot in Australia.
The inclusion of Suto proves especially telling. The attacker has "a real eye for goal; real good instincts in and around the box", according to Popovic, who courted him during a recent trip to Scotland. These are calculated gambles on potential, not promises of playing time.
A more instructive counterpoint to Segečić's departure is Nestory Irankunda. The winger earned a maiden international call-up during June's international window, starting a 2-0 win over Bangladesh in Dhaka before netting a first international goal in Australia's 5-0 win over Palestine in Perth. At just 18 years and 123 days old, he became the second youngest player to score for Australia. Irankunda has five Socceroos caps and scored his maiden international goal in the World Cup qualifier against Palestine.
Where Segečić saw exclusion as rejection, Irankunda saw the Socceroos environment as one worth fighting for. That distinction matters more than administrative remedies ever could.
Popovic has on multiple occasions made it clear he won't be "selling" the Socceroos shirt to players eligible to play for multiple countries. This philosophical stance has its costs. But it also protects something more important: the integrity of selection based on commitment rather than convenience.
Just two and a half months remain until Tony Popovic will settle on his final 26-player squad for the FIFA World Cup. Beyond send-off games in Sydney and Melbourne, the Socceroos will stage a pre-tournament training camp in Sarasota, Florida, in addition to a friendly against Mexico in Los Angeles on May 30, after which the coach will finalise his 26 players.
That timeline suggests Popovic has bigger concerns than managing departures. The real challenge is not keeping disillusioned fringe players in the fold. It's convincing reluctant gatekeepers like Segečić that playing for Australia, at any level, remains an honour worth claiming.