Leckie to withdraw from Socceroos, won Joe Marston medal with hamstring strain

Mathew Leckie was set to be included in Tony Popovic’s Socceroos squad for this crucial window that could qualify Australia for the FIFA World Cup, but a strained hamstring in addition to his brutal nose gash will see him miss out.

Significant bandaging was required to (somewhat) contain the bleeding from his nose after he caught the stray studs of Zinedine Machach, but Leckie revealed post match that he was already carrying an injury heading into City’s 1-0 Grand Final triumph over Melbourne Victory – one that it is set to deny him another Socceroos call up.

“I was selected for the national team, but I’m not sure. There’s a good chance I won’t go because [the nose]. But also, on Tuesday I hurt my hamstring, so I basically played with a hamstring strain,” he said.

“It was not the best feeling, but it didn’t really restrict me … just pain.

“We didn’t get it scanned – I didn’t want to know what it was.”

The hamstring trouble only goes to deepen the wounded warrior storyline that had already emerged, as Leckie was awarded the Joe Marston medal as the best player of the Grand Final.

Walking up to collect his award from former recipient Daniel Georgievski with his bandages still seeping with blood, Leckie performed when City needed him most in just his sixth start of the season.

“It’s alright now, I just spent about an hour with the doc, he stitched it up. I got an appointment Monday to check how the nose is,” he said.

Leckie said that appointment was in Melbourne – all but confirming his withdrawal from the Socceroos squad. Those of whom that were selected from the Grand Final teams, are flying to Perth on Sunday.

It’s another unfortunate moment with injury for the scorer of the goal against Denmark that took Australia through to the last 16 of a Men’s World Cup for just the second time in their history.

What it won’t do is take away from his gargantuan effort in the first ever Melbourne Derby Grand Final, with his coach and teammates alike heaping on praise.

“I think he’s gone 15 rounds with Mike Tyson,” said Melbourne City boss Aurelio Vidmar.

“We didn’t know really how long he could give us. I was thinking: if he gives us 45 to 60 that would be absolutely brilliant, but he just said ‘don’t take me off until I put my hand up’.

“We kept asking him in the last 20 or so minutes how he was feeling and he just said ‘no, I’m fine’.

“We sort of let the Ferrari get out of the garage tonight.”

His teammates followed suit. “He’s one tough nut and he’s a big part of … what we’ve achieved this season,” said club captain Aziz Behich.

“He’s an animal!” added defender Kai Trewin.

In his own words, the nose gash summed up his season. Leckie had as many as four separate stints on the sidelines throughout the season, as the trials and tribulations of a storied career appeared to catch him up. But in both scenarios, Leckie refused his season to be defined by time off the field.

Strapped like an Egyptian Mummy with blood continuing to bleed through his bandages as the match continued, in City’s biggest occasion of the season: Leckie refused to give in.

It was a game that after Yonatan Cohen’s early goal against the run of play, required the same dogged discipline that saw Aurelio Vidmar’s side finished the regular campaign with the best defensive record in the league.

Mat Leckie was at the centre of these efforts. Playing as the lone defensive midfielder – another position that he can add to his profile of versatility – he was the sole number six charged with keeping danger away from the back four.

He fulfilled this role with aplomb. Swatting away a largely frustrated Melbourne Victory, especially in the second half. Physical when needed and calm on the ball when the moment required it.

His loss to the Socceroos is certainly a blow, one that he hopes to rectify after getting his body right.

“I wanna be there, I really do. I’ve always said that I love the national team. I love representing Australia. But obviously, the last two years my body has just been giving me a lot of dramas with injury.

“As much as I would like to be there, with what’s happened now with [my nose] also with my leg, I really, really think I do need just a really good break.”