Journalist Elias Burke has been left stunned by West Bromwich Albion midfielder Tom Rogic's omission from Australia's squad for the 2022 World Cup.
The Lowdown: Rogic left out of Australia squad
The tournament in Qatar is almost upon us, with the Baggies hosting Stoke City in their last Championship game before the mid-season break on Saturday afternoon.
On Tuesday, Australia confirmed their squad for the World Cup, but there was no place in it for West Brom midfielder Rogic, which arguably comes as a surprise.
The 29-year-old has won 53 caps and scored 10 goals for his country, having started all three of the Socceroos' matches at the 2018 finals in Russia, with his international experience plain to be seen.
The Latest: Burke shocked at news
Reacting to the news on Twitter, Burke couldn't hide his shock at the former Celtic man's omission by Graham Arnold.
He tweeted:
"Wow, no Tom Rogic! Good news for Albion as he’ll have the WC break to get up to full fitness and work with Corberan, but heartbreaking for the 53-cap intl who should be a star player for the Socceroos."
The Verdict: Seems extremely harsh
From a personal perspective, this is a bitter blow for Rogic, who may have viewed this World Cup as his last for Australia, considering that he turns 30 next year.
Granted, it may not be a bad thing for West Brom, allowing him to get his fitness up during December, but the midfielder will surely have been hopeful of a call-up given his aforementioned tournament experience.
The hope is that this spurs on Rogic during the second half of the season as he looks to prove Arnold wrong and produce some influential Championship showings for the Baggies.