When the sprinklers burst to life across the Socceroos' training pitch in Doha, most players beat a hasty retreat from the spraying water.
But one figure remains.
Socceroos goalkeeper Mat Ryan is on the ground, protective face mask over his eyes, nonchalantly and diligently completing a series of strenuous warm-up exercises.
On the surface, his teammates aren't paying much notice to their captain's strict routine. They're used to him ticking every box.
The Socceroos skipper has his eyes set firmly on adding another Asian Cup title to the breakthrough trophy he won as a 22-year-old in 2015.
"Being a professional footballer means dedicating, sacrificing, everything of our lives to get where we are and opportunities like that, they're the ones you remember forever," Ryan told AAP.
"I will remember that day nine years ago for the rest of my life for all that it brought me.
"When a group of guys come together and you set out a plan - you have a goal and you're ambitious and you want to achieve it - the moment you reach that, the ecstasy that comes from it; there's no better feeling.
"You create something that you're going to remember for the rest of your life and you're going to tell stories of to your future kids and grandkids.
"Ultimately, what's more meaningful than that in life?"
Ryan is a winner. A Socceroo since December 2012, he is comfortable pushing his limits to ensure he achieves his goals.
It's why, after surgery to repair a fractured cheekbone suffered in a training accident in December, he pushed to return in time for the Asian Cup, donning a protective mask to make sure he could.
His commitment to the cause is infectious.
"His desire and his capacity to try to make us better constantly, to push players further and push himself further all the time, it does astound me," teammate Jackson Irvine told AAP.
"He'll probably be one of our most, if not the most, capped Socceroo and he's still at this point wanting to get better, to make every one of the players around him better, to make the team better.
"I can't speak highly enough of him as a player, as a professional and as a mate."
But it's the balance Ryan strikes between his serious, process-driven side and knowing when to have fun that has his teammates well and truly won over.
"He's a warm guy," Irvine said.
"He was my first-ever roommate in my first-ever camp in Paris in 2013.
"He immediately makes you feel a part of it, but he also makes you always appreciate the intensity of being here.
"He loves a laugh. You see him when the boys are shooting, he loves getting mouthy with the strikers and pushing them.
"He's got that perfect blend of being able to have a laugh, but also recognising when the boys need to switch into game mode."
Centre-back Harry Souttar sums it up succinctly.
"I always praise Maty Ryan as the best captain I've played for," Souttar told AAP.
"In terms of everything he does, it's so easy just to follow him. Whatever he says, you just back it to the hilt."
Ryan knows he will need to be at his most prepared when he leads out Australia for Friday night's quarter-final against South Korea - the same opponent he and the Socceroos bested in 2015's final.
It's a challenge he welcomes.
"Another big characteristic of leadership for me is finding a way to be able to produce on the pitch, when perhaps occasions or moments are stacked against you," he said.
"No one expects you to be able to produce but you find a way to do it."
If that involves a penalty shoot-out, Australia's No.1 is ready to stand tall.
"I've got a pretty good record and a pretty good penalty process that I go through. It's proven to be pretty successful," he said.
"Hopefully it doesn't get to that stage and we can get the job done in normal time, but if it's there, I'll be prepared and I'll be ready."
A potential three games away from claiming his first silverware as captain, Ryan is ready to embrace the moment.
"Winning is winning. Winning is great, no matter how old or young you are, so I just want to win as much as I can," he said.
"The ecstasy, there's no better feeling to life.
"That's all I'm really focused on - trying to do my best to give ourselves the best chance to go and do that."
