A tough week but a necessary one for the Ireland squad ahead of the trip to Athens to face Greece in next week's Euro 2024 qualifier.
That was the word coming out of the warm-weather training camp in the Antalya resort from Ireland centre-half Nathan Collins, who admits that lessons were learned from last year’s shock defeat to Armenia.
Collins believes that the defeat in Yerevan, which also came in the first fixture of the June international window was not necessarily a case of standards slipping rather the hot humid conditions sapping the energy right out of the team during the second half of the 1-0 defeat.
Ireland manager Stephen Kenny readily admits that they got things wrong in the build up to that game last summer, and was taking no chances this time around as he filled the six-week gap between the end of the English season for the Championship contingent by introducing a Bristol training camp, followed swiftly by the ongoing nine-day stay in the Turkish sun.
"We’re all excited for it now," said Collins, speaking to RTE football correspondent Tony O’Donoghue in Antalya.
"We’ve had a tough week here. The weather has got to us all, a bit of sunstroke, but we’re ready to go. The standard will always be there, no matter what, but the most important thing is to get accustomed to the weather.
"It was a great idea to come out here early, to get used to this weather, and it was needed."
And looking back to the game in Armenia, Collins feels that had things gone a little differently, Ireland could have had control of proceedings by half-time, but as a result paid the price in the second half.
"The weather is similar to what it was like in Armenia, and we all know what that game was really tough. One run and you could be struggling to get your breath back.
"A few boys may have been undercooked as it was a long spell from match to match.
"We could have put the game to bed, but we made it tough for ourselves and in the second half, we were all struggling with the heat and humidity.
"That’s why we are here now, to learn from out past and our mistakes, and we’ll use that experience to get ourselves right for the big game on Friday."
We all know what Collins did last summer, as the team bounced back from that horror show in Yerevan to beat Scotland 3-0 at the Aviva Stadium before earning a creditable away draw against Ukraine.
Collins, of course, was the man of the moment in the Polish venue of Lodz, scoring one of the finest individual goals of all time by a player in an Ireland jersey.
"It was just instinct and it will live with me forever, and hopefully I can do it again," said Collins.
But if Collins cannot do it, he certainly believes in the man who looks set to be handed that particular responsibility in Athens next Friday night.
Evan Ferguson has enjoyed a season to remember at Brighton, impressing consistently in the Premier League, while the 18-year-old striker scored on his first start for his country in the March friendly victory over Latvia.
And Collins believes that the excitement of watching the young player emerge onto the scene is not confined to those looking on from the stands but also on the training ground, enjoying the continuous development of the real striking prospect.
"He is a good lad, humble as anything and he is good craic around the place," said Collins.
"And he deserves it, he is a joy to watch and you get excited watching him on telly and also when you watch him in training.
"I want him to keep progressing, enjoy the moment and keep getting better."
Looking ahead to the game, Collins believes that the warm weather training, coupled with the extended duration of the pre-match camp, is already paying dividends and has the entire squad primed and poised to perform in Athens.
"It’s always tough to gel as a team, as we don’t get a lot of time together," said Collins. "So [it’s great] to get this time in camp where we are in the pool together, playing golf together, having games of table tennis and having the craic.
"It was a tough week, but it was a fun week, and now it’s down to work. We are getting used to watching Greece, and we are ready to go, and as a team, I think we are better already."
And beyond to the new campaign at club level, Collins is confident that he can bounce back from a tough second half of the season at Wolves, where he lost his place in the starting eleven and spent a lot of time looking on from the sidelines.
"It was a weird first half to the season and the whole squad were underperforming," said Collins.
"Then the new manager came in and I thought I was playing well and we got a few good results, but then there was another change in January, but that’s football.
"I’m always happy to compete, I’ll work my hardest, I’ll be at the best of my ability to put up a good fight [to get my place back]."
And Ireland manager Stephen Kenny is also confident that Collins will continue to progress and bounce back to become a regular starter in the Premier League.
"I’ve no doubt about Nathan’s talent and ability," said Kenny. "His career is only going to go one way, he is on an upwards trajectory."
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Watch Greece v Republic of Ireland in the Euro 2024 qualifier on Friday night from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to live radio commentary with Game On on 2fm
