Australian football must tackle changes to allow stars to feature in A-League finals and also play for the Socceroos, Adelaide United frontman Tomi Juric says.
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Socceroos squad members face the prospect of missing this season's A-League finals amid Australia's World Cup qualifiers resuming in June.
Juric openly admits winning back his Socceroos shirt is a key factor behind returning to the A-League and the Reds.
"Obviously it's not the greatest of set-ups here in the A-League regarding national team and the league," Juric said on Wednesday.
"It would be a big disappointment to be doing so well in the season as a club and putting ourselves in a great position and not being able to fulfil that role and be in that environment at the (finals) time.
"But that is just the perks of the Socceroos, you get to put on that yellow shirt ... that is just football, that's life.
"It definitely needs to change so we can give our A-League boys the opportunity to represent your country and not miss out on club duties."
Australia will play four World Cup qualifiers in June in Kuwait after competition was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Juric, capped 41 times for the Socceroos, was pragmatic about his chances of a call-up to Graham Arnold's national set-up.
"The (Socceroos) decisions will be coming up quite soon but whatever it is, at the end of the day, I'm happy, I'm in a good place," said Juric, who has scored in all three A-League games since returning from a knee injury.
"As long as I am back playing football, that is what keeps a smile on my dial.
"Working back from the injury that I had, I am just happy to be back on the park ...what happens down the track is out of my hands."
But Juric, who featured in all three of Australia's matches at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, was adamant he still had much to offer at international level.
"I learnt a lot in the past few years, even after Russia," he said.
"That (World Cup) was an experience in itself, not everybody gets to walk that path and I was lucky enough to do it.
"I definitely don't want it to be my last one.
"It's too early to say anything about what will happen but it's definitely in the back of my mind and the motivation for me to keep doing well."
Australian Associated Press
