June 2022 saw two memorable mornings unfold for Australian football fans, who rose early to watch the Subway Socceroos qualify for the FIFA World Cup in the most dramatic fashion.
In the end a pair of play-off victories over the UAE and Peru at the neutral Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Qatar ensured Graham Arnold's side would return to Doha in November for a fifth-straight FIFA World Cup.
But much like the entire qualification journey, which saw the team navigate a 18-month hiatis and over two years of playing away from home, both matches were far from straightforward.
Jackson Irvine came of age as a leadership figure amongst the squad throughout this time.
Despite having himself gone 11 months without a club following his shock release from Hull City in the midst of the pandemic, Irvine starred upon the Socceroos' return - registering more goal contributions than any other Australian in 2021.
While the playoffs were not the desired outcome from Round 3 of qualifying, it was Irvine who opened the scoring against UAE to help his nation within 90 minutes of a World Cup berth.
“It was such a unique pathway for us,” Irvine told Socceroos.com.au, looking back on the journey that culminated in Australia's historic FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 campaign.
That journey that we went on, that began in 2018, was just an insane roller coaster."
"Obviously, those COVID years of not playing and for myself individually, having probably the toughest period of my career, and then being able to find our way back into through a really tough playoff process."
“I think those playoff games in June before the World Cup really were a catalyst for pushing us into the way we performed in Qatar, and that realization of your individual path to where we were together as a team."
“The whole journey itself- I think roller coaster is probably one of the best ways to put it. But we had the strength and mentality to come through everything we had to overcome.”
Despite being injured at the time, Harry Souttar travelled to Qatar just in time for Australia's playoff against Peru.
His presence sums up the togetherness of the group, and is something he looks back on fondly, despite not being fit to feature at the time.
“Just to feel part of it, even though I was still injured was amazing," Souttar reflects.
“Just to see so many happy faces when you’re in the changing room, not just the players, but all the staff as well that put so much work in and would work so hard to get there over the three previous years.
“Obviously all the qualifying games there, two years with a COVID and not coming back to Australia to play. I think we played 14-16 games out of the country.
"It was a tough road but the lads did so well to get there."