Wrexham's Australia tour diary, part 2: James McClean on Melbourne Victory, jetlag, and snubbing cricket

New York Times

2 days ago

Wrexham are Down Under for pre-season, taking on a trio of A-League clubs as the build-up continues towards the opening game of their Championship campaign on August 9, away at Southampton.
After starting the tour with a 3-0 victory over grand final runners-up Melbourne Victory in front of a 37,020 crowd at the Marvel Stadium, Sydney FC are next up on Tuesday at the 42,500-capacity Allianz Stadium. A clash with Wellington Phoenix will then round off the tour on Saturday.
To keep fans across what's going on in Australia and New Zealand, The Athletic is publishing a diary of the tour with members of the travelling party. After manager Phil Parkinson gave his thoughts in part one, today it's the turn of captain James McClean…
I'd never been to Australia before. To be honest, it was never on the bucket list for me. Too far away. So, the fact I'm here with the club has allowed me to tick a box, as I'd probably never have made it here.
We've been looked after well since we got to Melbourne. Training has been good, including the facilities. The gaffer (Phil Parkinson) also likes the lads to experience different things on these tours, so we've been out and about in between training.
Advertisement
A few went to the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground), but cricket isn't for me. A sport I have zero interest in. Never, ever excited me, so I decided to give it a miss. Same with the AFL game the lads went to tonight between Carlton Football Club and Brisbane Lions at the Marvel Stadium.
Instead, I went out for some food. The lads who went had a great time. They all came back saying how good the experience had been. I'm sure they enjoyed it, but again, it's not a sport I watch.
Boxing is a sport I love, which is why I was in the boxing gym within a few hours of us arriving in Australia. It was always my plan. Something to keep me ticking over. It was the first thing I Googled when we were told where we were going in pre-season.
In the end, the gym actually got in touch with me. I know a few people in the boxing game, so that probably helped. They invited me along and I was more than happy to accept.
The first game of the tour against Melbourne Victory was grand. Good to get up and running, especially in terms of match sharpness and getting some minutes in the legs. The gaffer selected a different team to start in each half and I thought the lads did well in both.
We won the game 3-0 with goals from Tom O'Connor, Ryan Hardie and George Evans. But the main thing was getting the minutes in the legs. That's what pre-season is for.
The crowd was amazing — 37,020. That's for a pre-season friendly on the other side of the world, remember. We enjoy playing in new stadiums, and particularly big stadiums like the one here in Melbourne, but it makes it an even better experience for the lads to play in front of so many fans.
A travel day, as we swapped Melbourne for Sydney, the second stop on the tour.
We've been acting the tourist a bit and Sydney seems a lovely place. We visited the Sydney Opera House, among a few other sights. We didn't go in but were down in that area, which was great.
We're here in the Australian winter, so the weather wasn't the best during our few days in Melbourne. It was cold, it was wet, and the weather was a bit dull. A bit like being back home, really. I was saying to the lads, 'It's like travelling 21 hours to go home.'
Advertisement
Since getting to Sydney, though, the weather has been a bit brighter. That always helps and I've been enjoying it.
I'm still battling the jetlag a bit, even though we've been here a week now. I'll probably find by the time we go home, I'll just about have beaten it!
What I can't fault are the training facilities. They are so important on a trip like this. In Sydney, we're using the New South Wales Rugby League centre of excellence.
It's right next to the stadium where we'll be playing Sydney FC and we've even had the chance to throw a few rugby balls around as part of training. Again, we've been looked after really, really well. We couldn't ask for any more.
For me, the lads are looking in great shape. We've been worked hard and I think we're in a good place. The games help in that hugely, which is why we're all looking forward to tomorrow night's match.
This afternoon saw the launch of the new away kit, which included a few of the lads heading to Ultra Football in Sydney. At one stage, there must have been more than 300 fans queuing to get a photo with me, Arthur Okonkwo and Tom O'Connor.
Again, it shows the level of support the club has. We're looking forward to playing in front of those fans again tomorrow night. I'd imagine the game will be similar to Melbourne Victory.
I'm expecting them to be nice and tidy on the ball. Very technical, but again, the big thing for us is getting minutes under our belt. That said, we also want to win the game.
It doesn't matter whether it's a friendly or professional game, this group always wants to win. Momentum is something you want as a team so we want to build on the first game in Melbourne.
(Top photos: Getty Images)