Socceroos midfielder Riley McGree is ready to stand up and be counted when it matters against South Korea - and that includes on the scoresheet.
Speedy McGree has been a dynamic presence between midfield and attack, but has been unable to find the back of the net so far, either hesitating on the ball or spurning his chances.
But the 25-year-old shapes as a player who could easily turn the quarter-final in the Socceroos' favour at the Al Janoub Stadium in Doha on Friday evening (Saturday 2.30am AEDT).
"Half the challenge is getting into goalscoring positions and then the next part of it is putting them away and being a little bit more clinical," McGree told AAP.
"That's something I've tried to practice and I try and replicate in training. So I think it's only a matter of time before, hopefully, these things start clicking a little bit more for me."
Tight-set defences have made McGree's life more difficult - but if he faces it against South Korea again, he is confident he can seize his opportunity.
"It is a good challenge. When maybe things aren't going the way I want them to go in the game for myself, I just want to get on the ball and continue to get on the ball," he said.
"Everyone makes mistakes. The best players in the world make mistakes, but it's about not shying away from it and continuing to push and try and make something happen.
"We've got some exceptional players out there in this team and I can only hope they continue to stand up and take responsibility and take the ball and do something with it."
One player to have done that is Jackson Irvine.
Australia's strikers are yet to score but Irvine has two goals already, along with causing an own goal and forcing a save that enabled Craig Goodwin to score against Indonesia.
With Keanu Baccus screening defensively, Irvine is relishing his freedom to make late runs into the box - and he'll be ready to go again against South Korea.
"The way we play now with the narrower fullbacks and wingers high and wide, I've got the freedom to drift in between and try and find the spaces in the right moments," he told AAP.
"It's obviously leading to me getting a lot of touches in and around the box, probably fewer touches than I would normally have in a game generally, but being more impactful in the the final third in particular
"I'm still getting in positions and finding those spaces throughout the game, so it's good."
