Tyler Toland is ready to catch up on lost time, after her four-year exile from international football ended with starting spots in both of Ireland's opening Women's Nations League games last month.
It speaks to the revolving door nature of international football that the 22-year-old is yet to cross paths with some members of the current squad, after being left out in the cold by Vera Pauw for much of the former manager's time in charge of Ireland.
"Sinead (Farrelly) is flying in this morning so I'l get to meet her for the first time. There are loads of new faces," Toland told RTÉ Sport in the build-up to the upcoming Women's Nations League double-header against Albania.
Farrelly is among the newer faces in the squad who etched their names into Irish soccer folklore by representing the country at their first ever Women's World Cup back in the summer.
For Toland though, she had to make do with watching from afar, as the Girls in Green put in a respectable showing in a group campaign that ultimately yielded one point from three games.
Pauw's departure after the tournament re-opened a door for the youngster, and interim head coach Eileen Gleeson wasted no time in bringing Toland back into the fold.
Toland has started both games of Ireland's inaugural Nations League campaign so far, namely a historic 3-0 win over Northern Ireland in the women's side's first-ever appearance at the Aviva Stadium on 23 September, and a 4-0 win away to Hungary three days later.
The Donegal native is now in a positive frame of mind and, rather than dwelling on the past, she is ready help an ambitious Ireland squad build for the future.
"The last camp coming in, I was incredibly proud and I just want to keep focusing on the future and seeing what we can achieve as a squad," she said.
"It was a really positive camp, with two wins from two. It's really important now to keep working on that momentum, building on it and keep picking up points in this Nations League."
While Ireland were away in Australia during the summer, Toland was signing a two-year deal with English Women's Championship side Blackburn Rovers, continuing a club career that has seen her represent Manchester City, Celtic and Spanish outfit Levante.
Toland has helped the club to the comfortable position of fifth in the second-tier table after eight games this season, and while international football is a step up, she brushes off the suggestion that she may not be up to the physical challenge as of yet.
"When you come into international football, you have that adrenaline, you're playing for your country, you're going to fight for everything," she says.
"It's an incredible feeling to play for your country and you give it everything. I've played international football before so I know exactly what it's about. You have to have your head screwed on, you have to be fully concentrated but I felt good. I'm feeling confident, positive and ready to rock."
As for playing alongside Farrelly, and other players with whom she has only been recently-acquainted, Toland sees no disadvantage.
"Football is football," she says. "That's our job. We come in fully-focused at the task in hand. We know what we have to do. We did it in the last camp and hopefully we're going to do it again in this camp."
What Ireland need to do in order to gain promotion from Women's Nations League B is fairly straightforward.
The two wins last month have put them in pole position at the top of the group, and another six points against Albania over the coming days would set things up nicely ahead of the group climax in December.
Having had a chance to train with team-mates old and new, Toland speaks of a competitive edge among a group of players vying for places in Gleeson's starting line-up.
"I think the competitiveness within the squad is huge and we have incredible talent," she says.
"You have to fight and earn your spot in every single camp you come in but I think the football we're playing now is really good, we're allowing our players to express themselves. We have incredible talent and it's just about showcasing that and seeing what we can achieve as a squad.
"Nothing is guaranteed. You come into camp, the competition is massively high, I think it's higher now than it's ever been. There's incredible talent so you have to earn that spot in training this week and with your performances over the last few weeks. Ultimately, I'm here to help the team and see what we can achieve."
Watch Republic of Ireland v Albania in UEFA Nations League on Friday from 5.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to live radio commentary on 2fm's Game On from 5.40pm
