Niamh Fahey is 36 years old and has 111 Republic for Ireland caps to her name, but this week feels like a new beginning for the Liverpool defender.
A mainstay in the Irish back line for so long, Fahey hasn't kicked a ball for her country since last summer's World Cup in Australia.
A calf injury ruled her out of the early stages of the UEFA Nations League, with new recruit Cailtin Hayes emphatically filling the void in central defence as Ireland marched to six wins out of six.
Eaten bread is soon forgotten in the fickle, fast-moving world of football, but Fahey always had faith she'd get another chance to prove she has plenty left in the tank. Now back in the squad for the upcoming friendlies against Italy and Wales, she's relishing the opportunity to do just that.
"There will be a day [when I retire] I'm sure, but not yet," the Galway native said ahead of Friday's clash with the Italians in Florence.
"I got the call from Eileen a couple of days ago telling me I was back in, so I was absolutely buzzing. I had a bit of a rough time with injury after the World Cup and missed all the games. So I'm delighted to be back in. It's a fresh start with a new group. It's so fresh and new it feels like a new start for me also."
"It was an incredible experience I'm sure and I’ve heard a return is in the pipeline so fingers crossed."
For any player who has soldiered through difficult periods, as Fahey has certainly done with Ireland, this would be a very difficult time to walk away from the fold.
Ireland are bursting through barriers at a rate of knots as the qualty of the team and rapidly increasing interest levels take the women's game in this country to new heights.
Fahey missed the historic first appearance at the Aviva Stadium against Northern Ireland in September but expects the team to return to Lansdown Road sooner rather than later.
"I’ve never played there and there was 35,000 there the last time," she said.
"It was an incredible experience I’m sure and I’ve heard a return is in the pipeline so fingers crossed. Maybe England in the Aviva if we got them [in the Euro 2025 qualifiers] would be something special.
"It was hard to watch [the Northern Ireland game] because I wanted to be there. But obviously I am delighted for the girls and the job they’ve done because now we are in the top tier and it makes that path to qualification a lot easier than had we not done it.
"There are tougher tests ahead, everyone knows that, you can only beat who’s in front of you and that’s not easy in football, it’s never a given. Eileen and all the players did a fantastic job in securing top spot and getting into the top tier, so it was great to see that."
The emergence of the excellent Hayes underlines just how tough it is to get into this Ireland team right now. Aoife Mannion's return after a lengthy layoff intensifies the competition even further, with Fahey acknowledging past performances mean nothing in the scramble to earn the shirt.
"It's a very competitive squad, one of the strongest we’ve ever had. And there’s a few out still.
"We’ll see how the week goes. I have to train well and we’ll see how things go at the end of this week. There are a lot of qualities here, and especially in defence a lot of competition.
"[Cailtin] done excellently, fair play she’s come in and played well. The whole unit as well and I can only control what I can control. It’s not going to be easy and I’m not in charge of selection."
Fahey is enjoying a good campaign on Merseyside with the Reds, who are fifth in the Women's Super League and into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Having finally gotten over that frustrating calf issue, she's hoping for club success and plenty of international opportunities.
"I think I haven’t ever looked too far ahead," she said. "Rather, I’m focusing on my club first, seeing how that goes and if I’m doing well enough then I’ll get selected for Ireland.
"It has always been that process and that’s where I’m at now. I’m not looking too far ahead, because who knows what will happen in the future?
"But in the here and now, I’m fit and healthy and playing for my club week in, week out, and that’s where I’m at now, and I’m happy to be back in a green jersey."
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