Nobody was more proud of Kye Rowles' Socceroos heroics than his old Central Coast Mariners teammate Dan Hall.
Hall and Rowles were mainstays in the Mariners' defence last season as they reached the A-League Men finals and finished as runners-up in the Australia Cup.
The latter sealed a move to Scottish side Hearts which furthered his international chances and led to him marking the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in Qatar.
Hall, who will line up for the Mariners against Newcastle on Sunday when Socceroos stars Jason Cummings, Garang Kuol and Danny Vukovic return to Gosford, expressed his pride at seeing Rowles thrive on the biggest stage of all.
"To see him out there it's pretty crazy because last season we were playing with each other," Hall told AAP. "Now he's a starting Socceroo.
"It was no surprise to see him over there performing at that level because nothing really fazes him.
"Maybe he's nervous on the inside but he doesn't show it because he's composed.
"We're proud of what they did and it was inspiring, you hope that can translate into the A-League."
Hall missed the start of the Mariners' season with a knee injury and his impressive form under Nick Montgomery last year means it wouldn't be a shock to see him one day don the green and gold.
Asked about his own international chances, the 23-year-old who also qualifies for Fiji, said he retained a burning ambition to win international honours in the future.
"It's obviously anyone's dream to represent their country but I want to perform in clubland," Hall said.
"I am getting back to the ability I can play, once you lose your shirt it's hard to get it back.
"I guess you never know what the future holds but if you'd asked a few of the players in the Socceroos a year ago (if they would have been picked), they would have laughed at you."
For now though his focus is on the Jets, who have lost to the Mariners in the last three F3 derbies.
"We want to show the Coast that they can be proud of this team that wants to battle above their weight," Hall added.
"We turn up and are always ready for the fight. We know we are the smallest club but we'll work hard for every point."
