Socceroo Rogic on light duties after long haul

Celtic star Tom Rogic was restricted to riding an exercise bike as the majority of his Socceroos teammates trained at Lions Stadium.

Tom Rogic taking it easy at Socceroos training in Brisbane. Picture: AAP

Celtic star Tom Rogic was restricted to riding an exercise bike as the majority of his Socceroos teammates trained at Lions Stadium yesterday in preparation for Saturday’s clash against South Korea in Brisbane.

Rogic, who played a full 90 minutes for the Scottish champions in their 0-0 weekend draw with Livingston, arrived in Brisbane earlier in the day.

The playmaker is expected to train with the rest of team tonight when the Socceroos switch to match venue Suncorp Stadium for their fan day session.

The only players not at training yesterday were attackers Robbie Kruse and Awer Mabil, defender Alex Gersbach, midfielder James Jeggo and goalkeeper Danny Vukovic.

Late arrivals to the camp due to club commitments, all five will join their teammates on the training paddock today when preparations for what’s expected to be a tough clash against the Koreans on Saturday night.

The teams met in the 2015 Asian Cup final, won 2-1 in extra-time by Australia, but earlier in the same tournament, the Koreans beat the Socceroos 1-0 in a group match at Suncorp Stadium.

“It’s fitting that we’re playing South Korea here,” Scotland-based Socceroos star Mark Milligan said.

“We’ve got a score to settle. They did us here in the group stages (of the 2015 Asian Cup).

“We all get extremely excited when we get the chance to come back to Australia to play, and I hope the fans feel the same and come out in big numbers.”

Milligan, 33, is relishing the chance to play in the Scottish Premier League for Hibernian, having previously been thwarted in his attempts to ply his trade Europe.

“I’m loving my football at the minute. It took me a long time to get into the UK,” he said.

“Being in that environment day to day, it’s been very enjoyable.”

The Suncorp Stadium gates will open for fans at 5.30pm tonight.