WHEN Rhyan Grant talks about how lucky he is to be playing for the Socceroos at the Asian Cup, the talented defender knows the operative word is most definitely lucky.
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The Canowindra-born defender revealed on PlayersVoice he almost drowned at Collaroy when going for a surf in the pre-season.
He went out in big swell and after realising this and trying to paddle back to the beach, he struck trouble.
A wave slammed him into a storm water pipe which extends into the surf zone, Grant then being caught underneath that pipe. His leg rope was tangled around a metal support pole.
Grant admitted he thought, “This is it”.
“I was pretty frantic, as you can imagine, fighting to get up for a breath, but I couldn’t reach my ankle to get free because the surf was pushing my leg in the opposite direction to the rest of my body,” Grant revealed.
“I don’t know how long I was under that pipe but, after a while, the fight just went out of me. It seemed impossible. I gave up. I stopped fighting.
“I know that might sound exaggerated or heavy, but I did... Everything went peaceful and quiet under the water. I got ready to just let it happen.
“I am lucky to be representing the Socceroos at this Asian Cup. I’m lucky to be alive at all,” he said.
Luck certainly played a role for Grant that day, but as for earning a place in the Socceroos’ Asian Cup squad, hard work was the big factor.
An anterior cruciate ligament rupture sidelined him for almost the entire 2017-18 A-League season, but Grant worked hard on his recovery before forcing his way into the playing group which headed to the United Arab Emirates for the Asian Cup.
While Australia lost that match 1-0 against Jordan, Grant impressed. With a groin injury ruling out Risdon for the remaining pool games, he got the nod to start.
Grant was again solid as the Socceroos beat Uzbekistan in a penalty shoot out on early Tuesday morning to keep their Asian Cup defence alive.
The Socceroos will take on the United Arab Emirates in the Quarter Finals on January 26, at 3 am AEDST time.