“I’m someone that will give 100 per cent every game,and I think Arnie knows how badly I’d love to get a run.”
The chirpy 24-year-old seems perfectly suited to Australia’s daunting first-up challenge against France next Wednesday morning (AEDT) at the Al Janoub Stadium in Doha,and would be more than happy to get to work on superstars like Kylian Mbappe if Arnold asks him to.
Cameron Devlin has a knack for getting under the skin of opposition players.Credit:Malcolm Mackenzie
“To be fair,I don’t know if he’ll be interested in anything I’ve got to say,” he laughed.
“If I’m lucky enough to get a chance to play I’ll be doing everything in my power to not only put him off,but put every single one of them off.
“They’ve got quality all over the park — even their more non-recognised players are still playing at the biggest clubs in the world. They’ve obviously got superstars everywhere,and we’ll be having a game plan to go at them with what the coaching staff set up for us.
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“If I’m lucky enough to be on the field,I’ll just do my part to help us get a result. If that’s getting under someone’s skin,then definitely I’ll do it.”
Devlin has,however,learned the hard way that there is a fine line between belligerence and breaking the laws of the game. An edge,perhaps.
Just over a month ago,he was sent off in a 4-0 defeat to Rangers in the Scottish Premiership for stamping on the ankle of Rabbi Matondo in a reckless,dangerous moment.
Two goals down at that point,Devlin’s red card shattered any hopes Hearts had of a comeback. He looks back on it now as a “massive learning curve”,and has vowed not to let down club nor country in the same way again.
But Devlin is also wary of curbing the very instincts that got him to Hearts,and to Qatar in a green and gold shirt,and especially when they may yet be needed against the defending world champions.
Cammy Devlin made his Socceroos debut in September’s second friendly against New Zealand in Auckland.Credit:Getty
“I don’t want to change the player I am,” he said.
“I think I’ve got to where I am today by having that side to my game,especially with my height — I think if I didn’t have that side of my game,I definitely wouldn’t be near where I am. It’s not something I want to remove from my game.
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“But obviously,I’m sure you’ve watched the video,it was probably one of the more silly things I’ve done on the pitch,and something I want to learn from.
“I think you’ve got to make mistakes to become a better player.”
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