Rowles relishing France challenge
Kye Rowles has experienced the highs and lows that come with professional football in the space of six months.
The 24-year-old has been one of the revelations for the Socceroos since his senior debut in June.
While one of the late contributors to Australia’s successful FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, Rowles' impact should not be understated.
READ MORE: How to watch Australia at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™
READ MORE: Ultimate Travel Guide: Qatar
READ MORE: The motivation of Aaron Mooy
He may only have three caps for his country, but they occurred in some of the most high-pressured situations – especially the do-or-die matches against the United Arab Emirates and Peru.
The young defender played every minute of both those games, performing admirably after being rewarded for his strong performances with the Central Coast Mariners.
Around that time he also secured a move to Scottish Premiership outfit Heart of Midlothian.
However, after making a promising start, Rowles suffered a metatarsal fracture, sidelining him for the next two months.
In what was a race against the clock to be ready for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Rowles returned just in time and was named in Graham Arnold’s 26-man squad
He made three appearances with Hearts before arriving in Doha.
The centre-back admitted his preparation leading into the tournament was far from ideal but insisted he is fit and raring to go and assist the team.
“Obviously, it's not been the most the perfect run in for myself, but I know that once I put my head down and get out there I'm not focused on the fitness levels,” he told reporters.
“I'm just focused on doing my job for the team and obviously once you get into the game, you've got the likes of (Karim) Benzema and (Kylian) Mbappe around you, you don't have time to kind of think about how you're feeling and stuff like that.
“You just have to do your job and make sure that they're nullified as best as possible. I'm feeling strong anyway and very fit.
“The guys (medical team) back at Hearts did a very good job at getting me back up to the level I need to be and I'm just excited to hopefully get out there and perform the best I can.”
Rowles said the team are under no illusions about France’s pedigree, but will be doing everything in their power to get a result.
“Obviously, they're are a quality side,” he said.
“But you know, we're just going to go out there and take it to them like we do every game to every opponent and we'll just see how we go.”
As a defender, Rowles said he was relishing the challenge of playing against a potent forward line boasting the likes of Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann.
He said facing these types of players and being part of a World Cup is something that you cannot take for granted.
“It’s what you dream about as a kid to be honest, to be able to get this opportunity is once in a lifetime,” he explained.
“And I can pretty much speak for all the boys here that we're going to grab the opportunity that we will have with both hands and not give anything away.
“And give it the best crack we can, I think it's just an amazing opportunity for everyone involved.”