The Republic of Ireland's World Cup qualification journey began back in December 2020.
Figuratively, not literally.
The group draw wasn't even made until April 2021, with Ireland's first match against top seeds Sweden taking place in Tallaght the following October, when a spirited home side fell to a 1-0 defeat.
The campaign started then, that chilly autumn night when Louise Quinn's unfortunate own goal settled a scrappy contest.
But the journey... the heart and soul of the mission to make a World Cup for the first time, that flickered into life just as everyone was sifting through the ashes of a failed Euros campaign.
The autumn/winter of 2020 was a cruel one for Ireland. A 1-0 loss to Ukraine had fatally damaged their hopes of making the Euros play-offs; and it stung. Aine O'Gorman's freak own goal; Katie McCabe's missed penalty; chance after chance squandered. It felt like it wasn't meant to be.
A 3-1 loss to Germany in Ireland's final group game confirmed their fate, and uncertainty descended on the camp. Everybody was raw, but the priority for the FAI at that time was clear: keep Vera Pauw.
The Dutch coach had been a rejuvenating force since succeeding Colin Bell and although it felt like she had unfinished business, her future plans were not set in stone.
"I'll go home, discuss it with my partner," the manager said three weeks before Christmas. "I was crying and right now, of course yes [I want to continue], but I first need to rest."
By February, a refreshed Pauw had penned a contract extension that would keep her at the helm until the end of the World Cup qualification campaign and Ireland were ready to reset.
There were positives in that opening-night loss to Sweden but also frustration Ireland didn't pinch a point.
However the following match, away to Finland in Helsinki, lit the blue touch paper. Megan Connolly's free-kick and a brave header from Denise O'Sullivan, alongside a huge defensive effort, got Ireland out of the Olympic Stadium with a massive victory against the group's second seeds.
The nature of that win galvanised Ireland in a major way - and they have not looked back. In their seven games since, Ireland have lost just once - to Russia in the Pinatar Cup, which Pauw used to have a look a several new faces.
Within that block of games they hammered Georgia twice (11-0 and 9-0), drew away to Sweden, and beat both Poland and Wales. The only blip came at home to a dogged Slovakia, who made life difficult for the Girls in Green in a 1-1 draw.
They are one win from making the play-offs - and though they are far from straightforward, getting there would be a significant milestone.
Right now the focus is solely on beating the Finns who aren't exactly coming to Dublin in perfect harmony. They made it to the Euros but then lost all three of their group games against Spain, Denmark and Germany.
Having parted company with manager Anna Signeul after the tournament, Finnish FA President Ari Lahti said "we thought it was a good time to prepare for the future and set a new direction".
So Under-17s manager Marko Saloranta has taken temporary charge for their remaining qualifiers against Ireland and Sweden and even though Finland can still sneak a play-off spot if they win their final two matches, there's a sense they're already looking towards building for the next campaign.
They also have injury issues. Experienced midfielders Adelina Engman - who scored Finland's goal against Ireland in Helsinki - and Emmi Alanen are out, with the versatile Anni Miettunen of Umea IK drafted in to replenish the squad.
Pauw is without Savannah McCarthy, Aoife Colvill, Rianna Jarrett and Kyra Carusa but overall her squad is in good shape.
Goalkeeper Eve Badana, defenders Harriet Scott and Megan Campbell, midfielder Ellen Molloy and attacker Leanne Kiernan all come back into the fold after missing last June's 9-0 thrashing of Georgia, while Hayley Nolan is in the squad for the first time since making her debut away to Belgium in April 2021.
They also have momentum and a feelgood factor that seems to grow with every game they play. The current record attendance for an Ireland women's soccer international is 5,238 - set against Ukraine in Pauw's first match in charge back in October 2019. That number looks certain to be beaten on Thursday night with tickets long sold out for the visit of the Finns.
There has been exponential growth in the women's game generally over the last few years - indeed the summer's Euros in England was the most watched edition of the tournament ever, with a projected global cumulative live viewership of 365 million, according to UEFA.
The viewership was more than double the number in the 2017 edition (178 million) and 214% higher than in 2013 (116 million).
Something big is happening, and Ireland have the chance to make themselves part of the narrative.
In that context, qualifying for next year's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand would, without question, be a generation defining achievement.
Pauw knows it. She's already aired her fears that UEFA's proposed introduction of a tiered international qualification format [similar to the men's Nations League] will make it "virtually impossible" for countries like Ireland to make major tournaments, and with her contract up after this current qualifying campaign is over, it's hard to imagine her staying on if her team fail to make it to the World Cup.
"It's incomparable, " she said on Wednesday when asked how much progress the team had made in her time as boss.
"They became full professionals in every sense, with a lot of experience in their clubs and leagues. And also with the games we’ve played since then, we’ve experienced so much pressure that it is incomparable with two years ago.
"The key thing is that now our team are not in competition, the Finns are so we will find out tomorrow who is tired or fresh, and who has more game rhythm.
"That’s why we are preparing this like a final. No excuse can be made because we cannot play it again. We’ll be ready with a team that knows its tasks and know what we will be facing."
This really feels like a golden chance for everyone involved.
If Ireland can box off a pace in the play-offs then it's full steam ahead for phase 2 of the mission to make it Down Under.
In a complex format, Ireland may have to win as many as four play-off matches to get there, so there's still a long way to go.
But there's no doubt they'd have every chance of coming through that challenge. Pauw would probably embrace the extra games too, given she's frequently lamented Ireland's sparsity of fixtures.
The time is now to seize a big opportunity. Get ready for a seismic night at Tallaght Stadium.
REMAINING FIXTURES
Thursday 1 September
Republic of Ireland v Finland, Tallaght Stadium, 7pm
Georgia v Slovakia, Tengiz Burjanadze Stadium, 5pm
Tuesday 6 September
Slovakia v Republic of Ireland, Narodne treningove centrum SFZ, 5pm
Finland v Sweden, Tammela Stadion, 5pm
THE WORLD CUP PLAY-OFF FORMAT
- The winners of Europe's nine qualifying groups go to the World Cup.
- The nine runners-up head for the UEFA play-offs.
- In those play-offs, the three best runners-up get byes to round 2. The other six teams play three single-leg play-offs in round 1 on 6 October.
- The winners from round 1, and the teams that go directly to round 2, then compete in single-leg play-offs on 11 October.
- The two play-off winners with the highest ranking (based on results in the qualifying group stage and round 2 play-offs) progress to the finals.
- The other play-off winner will have to go to the inter-confederation play-offs from 17 to 23 February 2023 in New Zealand.
Republic of Ireland WNT Squad
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (Reading), Megan Walsh (Brighton & Hove Albion), Eve Badana (DLR Waves)
Defenders: Harriet Scott (Birmingham City), Claire O'Riordan (Celtic), Diane Caldwell (Reading), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Hayley Nolan (London City Lionesses), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City), Megan Campbell (Liverpool), Áine O'Gorman (Peamount United)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ruesha Littlejohn (Aston Villa), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Ciara Grant (Hearts), Lily Agg (London City Lionesses), Ellen Molloy (Wexford Youths), Jess Ziu (West Ham United), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City)
Forwards: Heather Payne (Florida State University), Amber Barrett (FFC Turbine Potsdam), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Abbie Larkin (Shelbourne), Saoirse Noonan (Durham WFC)
Follow the Republic of Ireland versus Finland on Thursday (kick-off 7pm) via our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app, watch live coverage on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player, or listen to national radio commentary on RTÉ 2FM.
