The Republic of Ireland's first FIFA Women's World Cup adventure is over. Half the players and management team arrived in Dublin on Wednesday, with the rest due to touch down today ahead of a homecoming presentation on O'Connell Street this evening.
It was an intense three weeks in Australia. From an abandoned friendly to a zipped-mouth emoji and everything in between, we reflect on the main talking points Down Under.
BEST PLAYER
Ruesha Littlejohn
Katie McCabe was magnificent against Canada, Abbie Larkin sparkled off the bench in the Australia clash, but Ireland's most consistent performer was Ruesha Littlejohn.
She covered huge ground in all the group games, helping to nullify three of the tournament's most technically gifted players - Katrina Gorry, Jessie Fleming and Toni Payne.
Littlejohn didn't just work hard; her use of the ball was intelligent and clean. Rarely did the Glaswegian cough up cheap possession. She's a free agent after being released by Aston Villa in June, but the 33-year-old will surely have more than one club knocking at her door this month.
BEST MOMENT
McCabe scores from a corner
After the narrow opening-night loss to the Matildas, Ireland needed a special result against reigning Olympic champions Canada to ignite their World Cup. When Katie McCabe's fourth-minute corner drifted into the net, it genuinely looked like they would pull it off.
It wasn't to be, but the release of emotion in Perth after the captain's goal was a special moment.
Other notable mentions: 18-year-old Abbie Larkin's cameo against the Aussies, which made her the youngest ever player to represent Ireland at a major tournament; Courtney Brosnan's incredible save to deny Nigeria's Uchenna Kanu; and the cacophonous 'Ole Ole Ole' that rang around the Accor Stadium as the Girls in Green walked on to the pitch to face co-hosts Australia. Several pockets of noisy fans belted out the chant under the Sydney night sky, confirming the pre-match suspicion that the Irish had a presence in every corner of the ground.
WORST MOMENT
Pauw's purgatory and a clash with the skipper
Vera Pauw's current contract expires this month, so questions about her future were always going to surface - and they surfaced with regularity. The 60-year-old Dutch woman has consistently aired her desire to stay on, but talks with the FAI stalled before the squad departed from Dublin and no one quite knows where Pauw stands.
A sideline spat with McCabe during the Nigeria match further soured the mood, as the skipper's calls for second-half substitutions were ignored by the manager.
On Wednesday the FAI said they plan to "undertake a full and comprehensive review" of the team's performance in the World Cup. If Pauw is to depart, it will be a messy end to her four-year reign.
BIGGEST SHOCK
Sam Kerr's secret calf injury
Australia manager Tony Gustavsson and star striker Sam Kerr faced the press 24 hours before their showdown with Ireland and fooled us all. "I'm really exciting about playing in front of a packed stadium," said Kerr, who was actually nursing a calf injury she had just sustained in training.
She was never going to play, but Gustavsson refused to show his hand. When the team news broke an hour before kick-off, the mood inside the ground changed dramatically. There's no doubt about it, the Aussies' blood ran cold. It's such a shame Ireland didn't manage to capitalise on a jitteriness that would have been fully exposed if the Girls in Green had taken the lead.
BIGGEST TALKING POINT
The Colombia walk-off & O'Sullivan's shin
All was quiet in Brisbane on the night of Friday 14 July. The travelling media had been turned away from Meakin Park, where Ireland were playing Colombia behind closed doors. An understanding that journalists could watch the game but not report on it was apparently, well, misunderstood.
The Colombians seemingly didn't get the memo, refusing access because they were afraid tactics would be leaked. Reporters trudged back to the centre of the city where most were based - and then, pandemonium.
News leaked out that Ireland had walked off the pitch after 20 minutes; Denise O'Sullivan was in hospital with a shin injury; phones were hopping on Joe Duffy's Liveline. It sparked a bananas 48 hours, which O'Sullivan would later sum up succinctly: "It was mental."
In the end the Cork maestro recovered in time to face Australia in the opener and completed 90 minutes in all of Ireland's group matches.
IN NUMBERS
11 - That's how many clean sheets Courtney Brosnan has now clocked up for Ireland, second only to Emma Byrne on the all-time list.
119 - Áine O'Gorman's caps haul following her display against Canada. She's second only to... Emma Byrne.
94 - The minute 34-year-old Balbriggan defender Diane Caldwell was introduced in the final group game versus Nigeria to make her World Cup debut.
75,784 - The attendance at the magnificent Accor Stadium for Australia v the Republic of Ireland.
6 - Years since the Ireland women's squad were forced to hold a press conference to ask for basics including their own tracksuits, gym membership, and team hotels with workable WIFi.
IN QUOTES
"I got told after the match by the girls. They said something about Gary, and I hadn't a clue who Gary was! I was like, 'I don't know who this is?!’ I don’t know if that was a bad thing or not." - Abbie Larkin on becoming the youngest player to represent the Republic of Ireland at a major tournament, a record previously held by Gary Kelly.
"Of course the players were upset... for the first time since I'm coaching [them], they feared for their bodies." - Vera Pauw outlines why her side walked off the field against Colombia.
"I'm not going to say what but there’s a clear trend there we’ll target." - Australia boss Tony Gustavsson unashamedly lays out his plan to crack open the Irish before his side's 1-0 win in Sydney.
"When the [Australia] game started I was fine but for 24 hours before it I was physically ill. I did not feel good." - Sinead Farrelly reveals, with remarkable honesty, the challenges she faces to overcome pre-match anxiety.
"It speaks volumes about the passion of the country and how proud the Irish are of their team." - Canada manager Bev Preistman expected the Perth Rectangular Stadium to be mostly full of Ireland supporters. She wasn't disappointed.
"I have lots of memories. I've got my grandad still over in Ireland and relatives. It’s nice to have that connection, to be able to represent Australia but feel Irish as well." - Matildas star Mary Fowler reflects on her strong ties to the Emerald Isle.
"If Katie McCabe wants a change, it doesn't mean… she's not the coach. Everybody was doing so well. So I said, 'what do you want Katie, taking the best player off?' No." - Vera Pauw responds to McCabe's request for her to make a substitution during the draw against Nigeria.
"🤐" - Katie McCabe's lone emoji tweet soon after Pauw's comments were made public.
