‘We’re still very confident and positive’: Grant champions Socceroos’ belief ahead of Palestine clash

2 min read 9 January 2019

Rhyan Grant insists the message from coach Graham Arnold hasn’t wavered despite the Socceroos’ first-up loss to Jordan at the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019™.

Focus has quickly shifted to Friday night’s (AEDT) clash with Palestine, with the Socceroos keen to bounce back swiftly at the Rashid Stadium in Dubai.

Arnold’s mandate ever since taking the reins of Australia has been about attacking football and self-belief in every match.

And Grant, who played the second half of the 1-0 loss to Jordan in Al Ain, says it’s business as usual in the lead-up to the crunch Palestine encounter.

“Arnie is still very much the same. He’s still very positive and very confident,” Grant told www.socceroos.com.au after the side’s first training session in Dubai.

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“It’s not the result we wanted first game but we’re still very positive and confident coming into the next game that we’ll go out and perform.

“There’s a lot to improve on so were keen to get into that and see how we can improve coming into the Palestine game,” the Sydney FC defender added.

Grant living the dream

Grant has represented Australia at youth international tournaments but his outing against Jordan was his first competitive game for the Socceroos.

The all-action right-back certainly provided a spark when introduced at half-time and is relishing the freedom to get forward at every opportunity in Arnold’s high-intensity, pro-active style.

For the 27-year-old, who plays his club football with Sydney FC in the Hyundai A-League, playing at a major international tournament is something he’ll never forget.

“Personally it was a very good experience for me,” he said.

“Obviously I’ve played a couple of friendlies but my first taste of tournament [football] was pretty cool and was something I’ll never forget.

“It was good to be a part of it. The squad we have here is unreal so to be a part of that and then to come onto the pitch and get a bit of game time is pretty cool too.”