Republic of Ireland captain Kenny Cunningham is not underestimating the importance of tomorrow night's Lansdowne Road friendly against Australia.
Cunningham knows a solid Irish performance is essential if his side are to avoid a similar embarrassment to the one inflicted upon England by the Socceroos in February.
And of paramount importance to the Republic is the opportunity to extend boss Brian Kerr's winning run to seven matches and go into next month's crucial European Championship qualifier against Russia in good heart.
The Birmingham defender's attitude is reflected in Kerr's strong squad which suffered only two withdrawals from 23 initial names despite the rigours of the Premiership kick-off last Saturday.
Cunningham said: "This match is an important stepping-stone for us. It's billed as a friendly but it's important we put in a good performance because we don't want to go into the Russia game on the back of a defeat or a sub-standard performance.
"I think everybody knows that this game has great value for us and it is going to be a good test.
"Every player wants to be involved in those two squads for Russia and Switzerland and this gives them the opportunity to come over and impress themselves upon the manager that they deserve a place in the starting line-up."
Kerr admitted he was surprised that no more players withdrew over the weekend - Steven Reid and Lee Carsley pulled out last week - and confirmed that Stockport goalkeeper Nick Colgan will start the game.
Colgan, who joined the Division Two outfit from Hibernian in the summer, has impressed Kerr in his three substitute appearances to date.
Kerr said: "Nick has been working hard with the group and as the current number two we need him to have some experience if he is going to play in a lot of big games.
"We were well off for goalkeepers and it was unfortunate that Alan Kelly and Dean Kiely both retired in such a short space of time. I want Nick to start although I am sure Shay Given will also play some part in the game."
Kerr is also delighted to have Birmingham striker Clinton Morrison back in his squad after a spate of injuries, and Morrison should start up front despite missing his club's opener against Tottenham at the weekend.
Kerr added: "Clinton has shown great potential and I am glad he is back in contention. He played two pre-season games but he hasn't had a lot of football recently and I haven't seen a lot of him."
The manager will weigh up a number of factors including tired limbs from the weekend or periods of inactivity before naming his final line-up.
PA