Rawlins: Joeys ready to attack against Hungary

As the youngest member of the Joeys squad at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil, Joshua Rawlins was understandably a little apprehensive the first time he went into camp.

But the Perth Glory youngster was quickly made to feel a part of the Joeys “family” and it’s that atmosphere he believes is holding the squad in good stead heading into Wednesday’s clash with Hungary.

After a first-up loss to Ecuador on Sunday, Trevor Morgan’s side are looking to bounce back in style against the Europeans in Goiania.

The squad has had two important sessions to prepare for the clash and Rawlins said the side is ready to give it everything to keep their hopes of progressing alive.

“We’ll be very direct and explosive up front where we threaten our opponents, not just sit back and play a counter-attack,” Rawlins told socceroos.com.au when asked what to expect from the Joeys.

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“There will be good build-up football, if we’re under pressure we deal with that well and are a very confident team all together.

“Trevor [Morgan] has given us tips on how to overcome Hungary, how they play and how they set up. We’ve all understood and know our roles and what we have to do on the pitch.”

Rawlins, who grew up in Guildford in WA, is also a member of the U-15 Joeys squad but impressed Morgan enough to earn a spot in the squad for Brazil.

“At first I was a bit nervous coming into camp, the young kid on the block but I had a few boys from Perth with me and they helped me get along with training,” Rawlins recalled of his first call-up.

“Now I’m pretty gelled into the squad like one of them and it’s good to have that as a team as well.

“We don’t have any individuals, we’re always like a family on and off the pitch.”

The Joeys are set to be greeted by more hot conditions for the clash with Hungary at the Estadio Olimpico on Wednesday morning AEDT (Tuesday night local time).

While it will make it tough for both sides, Rawlins is confident the Joeys are well prepared to deal with any conditions.

“We went to a pre-camp in Chile and I think we adapted pretty quickly to the heat, training with jackets on,” he said.

“The coaching staff really pushed us. When we came to Brazil we were pretty well prepared for the heat.”

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Remaining Joeys group matches

Australia v Hungary
Date: Tuesday, 29 October 2019
Venue: Estadio Olimpico, Goiania, Brazil
Kick-off: 8.00pm (local) – 10.00am (AEDT) Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Broadcast: Live in Australia via SBS and theworldgame.sbs.com.au

Australia v Nigeria 
Date: Friday, 1 November 2019
Venue: Estadio Bezerrao, Brasilia (Gama), Brazil
Kick-off: 5.00pm (local) – 7.00am (AEDT) Saturday, 2 November 2019
Broadcast: Live in Australia via SBS and theworldgame.sbs.com.au