Australians have a saying that I discovered earlier this year that I’ve loved ever since - far out.
I was really fortunate to travel over to Sydney in April to visit my better half’s two brothers for the first time.
A daunting trip in that respect, but before long we were drinking schooners (two thirds of a pint) together and inevitably ending up talking about football.
For them it took a long time to understand that football isn’t the biggest sport in Australia. Coming from Scotland, that is a strange thing to wrap your head around.
They also taught me the best Aussie slang they’d come across so far in all their years of living there, and it wasn’t long before I started hearing other people saying them out and about.
Strewth (something surprising), bonza (excellent), bogan (an unsophisticated person), bottle-o (bottle shop) and fair dinkum (fair enough) all made me smile the first time I heard them in a shop or in a bar.
Far out still remains my favourite though, a phrase to be used when something happens that you can’t quite believe.
And it’s a saying I certainly wouldn’t use in response to learning earlier this week that St Mirren duo Keanu Baccus and Ryan Strain had both been called up for the Socceroos.
Stephen Robinson has been touting the pair for the Australia national team since they arrived in Scotland.
And both players have also revealed in recent months the desire to make it to the World Cup this November played a big part in their move to the SMISA Stadium.
To play at the world’s biggest football tournament is a bucket list target for every professional player.
Fingers crossed Baccus and Strain both put in some excellent performances against New Zealand in the upcoming international break and prove to boss Graham Arnold they’re up to the task.
Of course the talented duo have another excellent opportunity to show they have the mental and technical ability to shine in Qatar this Sunday.
The Buddies face an as yet unbeaten Celtic side in Paisley, with Aussie boss Ange Postecoglou’s men currently on a six-game winning streak in the Premiership.
Baccus and Strain would do their hopes of making it into Australia’s final World Cup squad no harm if they could help the Buddies stop the Hoops in front of the Sky Sports cameras this weekend.
The duo will have to be at their best, along with the rest of the Saints squad, to have any chance of a positive result in Paisley.
But Robinson’s men have proven they are a tricky animal to tame when they play on the counter-attack this season, the tactic they will almost certainly be employing this weekend as they look to stifle Celtic’s impressive attacking line-up.
Another international player who will have to be at their best is Saints centre back Declan Gallagher.
I was hoping to see Gallagher’s name included in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad announcement earlier this week, and was even more surprised to see him omitted in favour of the likes of Ryan Porteous.
No-one will convince me that the Hibs centre back is a better defender than Gallagher, who has already proven he can stomach international football in some of Scotland’s most important recent fixtures - not least their historic play-off final win against Serbia.
While any injuries picked up this weekend may see players pull out of the Scotland squad, Gallagher may yet find himself in contention.
Again that gives him massive motivation to put in a strong performance against Celtic.
With so many Saints players looking to impress their watching national team bosses, hopefully it’ll end up being a bonza weekend for the Buddies.
Don't miss the latest headlines from around Renfrewshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
READ MORE:
