Lucy Quinn is determined to play as big a role as possible for the Republic of Ireland as they continue their preparations for a first appearance at the FIFA World Cup.
Southampton-born Quinn, who qualified to play in green through her Sligo father, made her national debut two years ago against Australia.
Since then she has been in and out of the team, picking up a further 12 caps, with most of those earned in the year after her September 2021 debut. In Ireland's last 10 games, Quinn has played fewer than 100 minutes total.
90 of those came in the second game of April's camp against defending champions USA. After being drafted into the squad as a late replacement for the injured Lily Agg, Quinn put in a player of the match performance.
Since then however she saw no minutes against either Zambia or France at Tallaght in the last month.
These were games that, in reality, manager Vera Pauw was using to take a final look at some of her more peripheral players ahead of confirming her selection for the World Cup. But with Quinn included in the 23 for the tournament she is now setting her sights on getting into the team.
"I'm doing everything I can," she told RTÉ Sport this week.
"I feel I've taken opportunities when I've been given them, for example the USA camp.
"I just train and try to absorb everything like a sponge and learn as much as I can. I always want to bring energy to the team. I feel like I'm doing that.
"When you work hard you get your rewards and I'm sure I'll definitely get some."
Of her increased role in the camp against the world champions she added, "I had a little chat with myself about showing personality.
"I always really want to do what the squad needs me to do but I also need to bring what I can bring to the table and the team. I just wanted to show what makes me effective in that position and I think I was able to do that at times."
With Ireland playing the biggest game in their history next week against Australia, it's fair to say that Pauw will want to out the players that will work best together.
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With Quinn's demotion from a regular starting spot to the substitute's bench she's acutely aware that over the next week she'll be trying to break into arguably the greatest Irish team of all time.
"At this level there are teams that play together and start to build relationships and take that into the next game. It's effective; you have game plans and the personnel that are in there are there for a reason.
"It's difficult to break into that but that's the level I want to play at and I want to be in there with the best and I've got to keep working hard.
"It's the dream, getting selected and being in the squad is a massive honour, as it is. Of course you want to get on the pitch but that fate isn't in my hands.
"All I can do is everything I can do to make that possible."
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