ON SATURDAY afternoon at North Sydney Oval, Kristian Sarkies played like a man who wants to turn the ambitious vision of an Olympic medal for Australia's football team into a reality.

He scored one goal, set up two more and caused 90 minutes of mayhem for the New Zealanders as his striking red boots flashed up and down the left flank, interspersed by several excellent set-pieces and darting runs.

It wasn't always like this. After scoring the opener in Adelaide United's 3-1 loss against Sydney FC last December, Sarkies felt a pain in his left arm during a drinks break and told the club doctor it felt like it was "about to explode".

"It was scary how it happened," Sarkies told the Herald yesterday. "I think back now, and this time six months ago I was sitting in a hospital bed recovering from what turned out to be deep-vein thrombosis. I couldn't have imagined myself being where I am at the moment.

"When I first asked the doctor whether I'd play again, he said he didn't know. There was a real chance that it was all over. You have your ups and downs in football, in life, and that was one of the lowest points. But on your down points it's about how quickly you can turn it around, it really is like riding a roller-coaster. This has definitely made me mentally tougher, and I hope it can make me a stronger player going forward, starting with the Olympics."

The condition meant an end to his A-League campaign, much of his club's Asian Champions League build-up and, it seemed, an Olyroos berth. Not only that, but when Sarkies did recover, the blood-thinning tablets he had to take ruled out any physical contact for fear of severe bleeding.

Sarkies managed to get his body right, and with some faith from under-23s coach Graham Arnold, the young Victorian's Olympic dream was realised when he was named in the final 18-man squad. But aspirations of a podium finish aside, Sarkies is just happy to be back on the field.

"It's always good to score a goal and contribute. I feel very fit and sharp, but I'm really just happy to be back out there again," he said. "The main thing is just to be out there in a competitive game, and even just feeling tired at the end of a game, it's a good feeling."

With a few days up his sleeve before departing for China, Sarkies flew back to Melbourne to catch up with family, and admits the Olympic buzz is starting to build.

"I've been saying to everyone that when I walk into the athletes' village, that's when it will hit me," he said.

Sarkies has spoken with his former Adelaide teammates Bruce Djite and Nathan Burns about missing selection, and said both were "very disappointed".

Like them, Sarkies has dreams of playing overseas. "It's no secret that like anyone, I'd love to play in Europe some day," he said.