Lewis Miller: The best is yet to come with this group
CommBank Socceroos defender Lewis Miller said that competition for places within the squad would only help the team thrive ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
He touched on life in the Championship with Blackburn Rovers after moving from Hibernian in the off-season, the team’s playing style, and how it felt to play in front of our home fans.
Adjusting to life at Blackburn
Obviously, Scotland and England are pretty similar, but my goal was always to get to the Championship with the chance to get promoted to the Premier League. So I’m in a very good spot at the moment, and hopefully I can just continue that and have a good season.
There are a lot of Aussies who have previously been at Blackburn, so it made my transition a bit easier. Everyone’s giving me a lot of credit, but I haven’t even done anything yet! It’s a big club and I’m just glad I’m progressing in my career. I think this is just the beginning, and the best is yet to come.
Championship influence
The World Cup is coming up, and we’re always trying to prepare and be ready for the tournament. There are a lot of Championship boys in the team as well. So it’s good to familiarise myself with them, and there’s a lot of banter between us. I’m very happy with where I am at the moment.
It’s really good. Sammy [Silvera] doesn’t stop shutting up about them [Middlesborough] coming first in the Championship! Like I said, it’s a good bunch of lads, and I’m happy to be here.
New faces in Socceroos camp
There are a lot of new faces, and we’ve all got the same goal. We know that it’s all business, but at the end of the day, we’re still super excited and proud of what we’ve achieved for this country. The best is yet to come for this group. We’re going to stay as one and get to know one another inside and out. At the end of the day, it’s all about preparation for the biggest tournament in football.
Competition for places
You need competition to thrive. There are a lot of players that have been killing it overseas, so it’s really good to see that the contingent overseas is getting greater and greater, and that leads to more competition for spots. But at the end of the day, if you want to be where you want to be, then you need to beat the best and compete with the best. I think it’s a really great atmosphere and environment that we’ve created, and hopefully we can continue that into the World Cup.
CommBank Socceroos playing style
We’re a very direct team, and we love to play forward. We’re a very positive side, we’ve created lots of chances and then again, with that back five as well, we’ve also remained rock solid at the back. We’re still gelling together and learning from one another and getting that chemistry between one another. Like I’ve said multiple times now, the best is yet to come for this group.
Playing in Canberra
Yesterday was fantastic! It’s a little bit gloomy today, but it’s always good to be back on home soil. It’s pleasant, and I’m excited to play in front of a big crowd.
There’s no better place than playing back at home and watching the green and gold fans in the stadium. It’s the best feeling in the world.