Harrison Delbridge cut a calm figure during his Subway Socceroos debut against New Zealand at Eden Park.
If he was nervous or apprehensive, he did well not to show it and even embraced a leadership role while on the field.
With his wife, mum and dad watching from the stands, the central defender delivered an assured display in an experimental Australia side, impressing alongside Thomas Deng as the Green and Gold won 2-0.
Delbridge admitted to Soccerooos.com.au he was calm going into the match and felt, despite his inexperience on this stage, he could help guide the younger players as one of the older members in the squad.
“Honestly, I felt pretty relaxed going into it, it was obviously exciting for me,” Delbridge said after playing the full 90 minutes.
“But yeah, I felt relaxed. and knowing a few of the guys and being one of the older players, knowing that I could help them hopefully settle into the game was something that I wanted to be able to do during the game and make sure the team was feeling as relaxed as possible.
“So without some of the older guys here that left after the last game, I just saw an opportunity for me to take a bit of a leadership role, even though it was international debut.”
The 30-year-old revealed he was told by Head Coach Graham Arnold he would be starting during a training session with the boss’ instructions aiding to further placate any pre-match nerves that could have manifested itself.
“I think it was in training we went through some shape stuff and obviously told us a starting line-up,” he said.
“But he just said to me, ‘I’m a bit of an older player, compared to some of the young boys that got their caps today. So he said, you’ve played hundreds of games and just go out tomorrow and play it like it’s like you’ve been playing and you’ll do well’.
“I thought that was great advice, just tried to stay as relaxed as possible and help the young boys as much as I can and they did well.”
Delbridge’s call-up to the national team for the first for the September camp has been predicated on his sensational club form with Incheon United in K League 1.
The defender said playing abroad in a very competitive environment has been extremely beneficial.
He signed for Incheon in 2021 and has amassed more than 60 appearances.
“It’s a different experience,” he explained.
“It’s a different style of football in Australia, it’s really competitive, obviously, they have the relegation system there.
“So that means that there’s no games that are sort of taken lightly. It’s like a real, real fight. And they’re strong players, and it’s a gritty sort of league.
“So it took me a little while to settle into it maybe a couple of months, but feeling comfortable there and enjoying life and it’s been good.
“I think playing in a league that’s respected around the world, obviously, the national team has some incredible players and incredible talent coming out of that country.
“… I know there’s players in the past that have gone to Korea done well and then gotten a call up so that definitely was on my mind when I was making the move.”
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