Louise Quinn reckons Ireland will be the best supported team at next summer’s World Cup - after co-hosts Australia and New Zealand.
Credit Union can brace themselves for a surge in loan applications, as fans begin to plan their trip Down Under.
And the huge expat community is set to get behind the Girls in Green, just as it did during the 1994 men’s World Cup in the USA.
READ MORE: Amber Barrett dedicates historic goal to Donegal explosion victims
Ireland will find out where they play and who they play against when the draw takes place on Saturday week in Auckland.
Quinn has family in Australia, so she is hoping that Ireland end up in one city in particular.
“My sister is in Australia actually, Melbourne. And loads of people from college too. I’ve a friend in New Zealand,” she said.
“I have been to Melbourne. A nice little game there would do the trick.
“I feel apart from Australia and New Zealand, we’ll probably have the next most fans to be honest, there are so many Irish over there.”
For 32-year-old Quinn, qualification closes one of the most painful chapters in her career.
A shock defeat to Ukraine three years ago cost Ireland a place at the recent European Championships.
That heartache was one of the driving forces behind this successful campaign.
“None of us just ever wanted anything like that to happen again,” she said.
“Losses like that, they take the fear out of the game. You’re like, ‘It doesn’t get worse than that’.
“The people that it happened to as well - Aine (O’Gorman), she is one of the strongest people, nothing fazes her. She’s back even stronger.
“We are all better (for that defeat to Ukraine) because we stuck together.”
She continued: “Every game we’ve played in this campaign has been a cup final. Every game has been the biggest game of our career.
“We knew we had it in us. You need things to go your way, you need the group to get you through, the other teams you’re playing, you need some luck in the games, you need Courtney Brosnan saving penalties…
“Everything happens for a reason. Past games where we’ve failed, it’s only made us stronger, it’s only made us more resilient.
“We knew they (Scotland) weren’t going to score in those last few minutes. It was controlled, we knew what we wanted to do.”
Quinn paid tribute to goal hero Amber Barrett and to the victims of the Creeslough tragedy, saying: “Listen, she was just incredible, just composed, the finish…
“We’ve a lot of Donegal girls in the squad, staff as well, she’s got family from around there.
“It was heartbreaking, she had a tough week, it was really really sad for her.
“And that’s when you put it into something else, and she put it into putting the ball in the back of the net. It’s beautiful.
“Obviously to do that for them, the tragedy is unbelievable. But from her, that’s so special. Hopefully that can go back and give a bit of light.
“Yeah, Amber has done herself, Donegal, the team, so proud.”
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