A-League of talent?

Frank Lowy must be pinching himself. When he and then-FFA chief executive John O'Neill rolled out the A-League back in 2005, they would have fantasised about European-based Australians returning home to play in the fledgling competition.

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Culina opted to return home

Not necessarily the ageing legs looking for a final pay day, but those on the right side of 30 with plenty of juice still left in the tank. "If they're a current member of the Socceroos squad, even better," they would have quipped.

They realised that returning expats would elevate interest levels in the league and improve its overall quality. In achieving that, the A-League would be a lot closer to becoming the lifeblood of the national team - something that's commonplace among the world's elite.

And now that a pivotal member of the Socceroos squad is earning his bread and butter in the A-League, and not in Europe, Frankie's arms must be dotted with bruises from all that pinching.

Earlier this year, Jason Culina paved the way for the A-League to become a pool of talent from which national coach Pim Verbeek could fish from when he defied the Dutchman and turned down a contract extension with Eredivisie heavyweights PSV Eindhoven, in favour of a three-year deal with A-League newcomers Gold Coast United.

Verbeek once remarked that Australian footballers were better off training with a European club than playing weekly in the A-League. Some way to promote the domestic product, Pim.

Culina, who had been playing in Holland for a decade, didn't agree so he slipped on his flip-flops, slapped on some SPF 30+ and flew down to Coolangatta Airport.

Verbeek could have been forgiven for thinking his words of caution were lost in translation as another freight of Socceroos - Mile Sterjovski, Chris Coyne, Jacob Burns, David Williams and Joel Porter - returned home just in time for season five of the A-League.

And just when he thought the influx of European-based Aussies was over, both Shane Stefanutto and Adrian Leijer flew in to join North Queensland Fury and Melbourne Victory respectively.

A number of European-based Australians, ranging from players who have their eyes solely on South Africa 2010, to those planning ahead to 2014 and beyond, are now turning to the A-League as a means of resurrecting their careers and/or keeping their spots in the national team - Culina being the exception.

The fact that Culina, 29, was running around the A-League, reportedly made Leijer's decision to fly home a lot easier. And you get the feeling that having Leijer - a player touted with a bright future when he left for the English Premier League in 2007 - back in the A-League will have the same impact on those European-based Aussies who are bereft of first team football and contemplating their next move.

As Culina said earlier this week: "Just because you're playing in Europe doesn't mean it's any better than playing in the A-League. When I was in Europe, there were a lot of poor games I saw on TV and in the Dutch league. A lot of people perceive Europe as being great and all that and forget about their own A-League, which I think now is actually at a very high level."

As I wrote some five years ago when the A-League was launched: "The importance of a successful domestic competition should not be underestimated. A sound domestic league is, in my opinion, the lifeblood of the national team; a never-ending production line of emerging talent. Furthermore, it is the base to which further success can be built upon."

When I wrote that, I too believed the notion was more fantasy than reality, but when I saw Leijer running out against the Fury on Saturday night, it signified a shift in the A-League's appeal and purpose.

It's still early days, and perhaps a bold call for some, but the A-League is on its way to becoming the lifeblood of the national team.