Jake Hollman says the disappointment of the Olyroos' disastrous Paris Games qualification tournament will serve as his fuel as he seeks to lead Macarthur deep into the A-League Men finals series.
Hollman has enjoyed a breakout season for the Bulls and scooped up the club's player of the season award ahead of Saturday's elimination final away to Sydney FC.
The 22-year-old midfielder missed a chunk of Macarthur's regular season on international duty after he was called into the Olyroos squad for their qualification campaign in Qatar.
But things went awry in the Middle East as Tony Vidmar's side exited the U23 Asian Cup at the group stage without scoring a goal.
"It was super disappointing, we had high ambitions and hopes that we didn't meet," Hollman told AAP.
"I don't know if embarrassment is the right word, but it kind of feels that as a playing group we let down a lot of people, including ourselves.
"The team was very strong even if we were missing a couple of players and it was more than just this tournament, the previous 18 months we've had no issue breaking down a low block or teams that press.
"The teams set up how we expected and let us have the ball but we weren't worried because we'd broken it down over the last 18 months.
"The boys who are coming back to play in finals, myself included, will be very motivated to justify their selection and help the clubs they're at."
Hollman will face his brother Corey in Saturday's match at Allianz Stadium where one side's finals series will end.
Sydney have lost to Macarthur in both their previous meetings this season and Hollman believes if the Bulls get on a roll they can dare to dream of reaching a grand final.
"We know how important this game is for our ambitions to continue this season," Hollman said.
"On our day, we don't think there's a better team than us.
"That's finals football, it's about what happens on the day, but I feel like over the season we've proven we can beat anyone."
