It may only be seven years since Katie Mullan made her senior international hockey debut, but in many ways it feels like a lifetime ago.
Women's hockey is currently on the crest of a wave. Last year’s journey to a World Cup final sealed a place in the hearts of the public. Last night’s dramatic qualification for Tokyo 2020, claimed in front of a record crowd with a penalty shootout victory over Canada, has only served to cement their standing in Irish sport.
Team captain Mullan made her bow in 2012 and admits the sport is a world removed from the game she knew as a budding player.
"We grew up playing a sport where you were lucky if there were 10 men and a dog on the sideline," she told RTÉ Sport.
"Now all of sudden there are 6,000 people watching us play our sport."
Ireland trailed 3-1 in the shootout but goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran pulled off two stunning saves, while Beth Barr and Chloe Watson scored to send the shootout to sudden death.
Canada failed to convert in sudden death after Roisin Upton gave the home side the lead and what followed was an outpouring of emotion at Energia Park.
Mullan doesn't subscribe to the view that TV exposure and rapidly increasing attendances is something that could affect the team adversely.
"That's not pressure, that’s a privilege.
"Having the support of the nation behind us is real calming in a strange sense."
McFerran once again was a standout performer in goals, with the extensive homework carried out during the week for a potential penalty shootout rewarded handsomely.
"Ayeisha has been the foundation of this team for a number of years and you know you can rely on her. And she loves the drama," said Deirdre Duke, who credits head coach Sean Dancer for the Irish composure displayed during the nerve-jangling finale.
"Sean is an incredibly calm character and he has instilled a belief, and also a calmness, among us. At no stage did I think we were going to lose over the two games.
"I never panicked."
Beth Barr was among the TV viewers last summer as Ireland upset the odds to reach a World Cup final.
Five months later those heroes became team-mates as she, along with her twin Serena, made her international bow against Chile.
Now the 24-year-old Belfast Harlequins player is setting her sights on making it a unique Olympics for the Barr family.
"It’s so special. We push each other along. We train together, we run together. We always have sprint competitions in the warm up and it keeps us focused.
"All the way through we have been playing hockey together. Going to Tokyo together would be the ultimate dream."
You can feel alone at times, but you know that your team backs you and that is so special
Barr was Ireland’s fourth penalty taker and having fallen 3-1 in arrears, knew that a miss would end Olympic dreams.
She outlined her mental state prior to firing past the Canadian goalkeeper.
"It was nerve wrecking. You go up and you know your whole team is behind you. You are out there alone. You can feel alone at times, but you know that your team backs you and that is so special.
"You have to zone out everything. I said a lot of prayers beforehand and as I was stepping up I knew there were a lot of people praying behind me aswell. You have to calm yourself. You can’t become overwhelmed."
The celebrations went long into the night and Dancer insisted that the morning meeting was still on the agenda.
The players weren’t convinced of the merit of the get together, but Mullan insists it was the right call.
"Ayesha burst out laughing at one point because it was like the penny had just dropped with her that we were going to Tokyo. It’s those wee moments where it is a dream come true.
Before we went to the World Cup, nobody knew that we had an Irish hockey team
"It was really lovely to have that meeting even though we were questioning it in the early hours of last night!"
Deirdre Duke recalls on occasions being mistaken for a karate squad, and also the rugby team – "before we went to the World Cup, nobody knew that we had an Irish hockey team" – but says breaking through the glass ceiling in the last 12 months has been transformative.
The increased funding she argues could allow Ireland to battle it out with the top nations for silverware.
"It’s really changed the game for us. Before we were training once a week in six-week blocks and now we see each other almost every other day.
"We are trying to be as professional as possible and another six months of being together three or four days a week, anything is possible."
What can Ireland realistically achieve in Japan in their maiden tournament?
As far as Mullan is concerned, they will travel with ambitions of staying involved until the business end of the competition.
This is a really special group and we have just transformed our sport
"We’ll go to Tokyo with no real pressure or expectation on us, which suits us. We proved last summer that we can put it up to any of the top teams in the world.
"Our dream was getting to the Olympics. Now we have to set a new dream. I think we would be silly not to set that dream as a medal in Tokyo
"This is a really special group and we have just transformed our sport."
