To celebrate Australia's 2022 World Cup appearance, we share an exclusive extract from Andrew Howe's Encyclopedia of Socceroos Centenary Edition 1922 to 2022 published this month.
Mitch Duke scored the only goal in Australia's 0-1 win vs Tunisia, in the 23rd minute of the game. It was his 8th goal for Australia in 22 games.
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From Sydney’s south-western suburbs, Mitchell Duke played at Liverpool Rangers juniors and youth level with Parramatta Eagles.
At Central Coast Mariners (2009–2015) he started playing regularly in 2012–2013, concluding with a winning grand final appearance (W2-0 v Western Sydney Wanderers), the first championship for the Mariners. Throughout 2013, Duke played four times for the Socceroos, with three starting appearances at the East Asian Cup in South Korea and as a late substitute in a friendly against Brazil later in the year.
After 66 league appearances and 13 goals at Central Coast he departed for J-League side Shimizu S-Pulse (2015–2019), where he played 82 top tier games, although he missed out on most of 2016 with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
He returned to Australia with Western Sydney Wanderers (2019–2020) then transferred to Saudi Arabian club Al Taawon (2020–2021), incorporating a loan stint back at Western Sydney (2021), before returning to Japan with Fagiano Okayama (2021– ). Rejoining the national team set-up in 2019 Duke played in 15 qualifying games for the 2022 World Cup, including a starting appearance in the final intercontinental playoff against Peru in Doha in June 2022 (D0-0, won on penalties).
He also played for the Australian Olympic team in Japan in 2021, as an over-age player against Argentina (W2-0) and Spain (L0-1).
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For profiles and more of the 953 other men who have played for Australia, buy the Encyclopedia of Socceroos Centenary Edition at all good bookstores or online here for $66.
Photo via Alamy.