Aaron Mooy has been talking about his first call-up into the senior Australia squad.
Last week the young midfielder was named in the Socceroos squad for their match with Republic of Ireland, and he even made the substitutes' bench for the clash in Limerick.
Although the 18-year-old didn't feature in his country's 3-0 friendly victory, he explained that it was a fantastic experience to be in the international set-up at the highest level for the first time in his career, even if it did involve one particular light-hearted moment.
Mooy said: "It was a bit of a shock to get the call but also a great experience to be alongside so many world-class players.
"For the first couple of days after I got my call-up, my head was full of thoughts about what it would be like but when I got there it was normal and I was more relaxed the more I trained.
"After the first session I wasn't as nervous and I had the chance to sit down and interact with all the senior players - they are all top drawer guys.
"It was a bit surreal at first because I grew up watching a lot of players like Harry Kewell, Lucas Neill and Tim Cahill. But it's like being at Bolton because you realise that they are just footballers.
"I had to perform a singing initiation because I was the new boy in the squad. It was pretty embarrassing having to stand on a chair and sing 'Let me love you' by Mario, but it was a good ice-breaker and it gave all the players something to laugh and talk about."
The Australian's call-up came as a result of a series of impressive performances in Wanderers' reserve and U18 team. He continued his good form into an end-of-season tournament in Holland for Australia U20s and his next target is success in the U20s World Cup to be held in Egypt in five weeks' time.
However after first senior squad inclusion, Mooy is hopeful that he will soon be able to make his full international debut.
He added: "Last season, especially with the FA Youth Cup, I had a good 12 months. I then went away with Australia U20s a couple of times and was involved in a tournament at the end of last season, which featured Liverpool and Valencia. I thought that I did well there and won Player of the Tournament and it's from that I have got my full international call-up.
"The next step for me is to get out on the field for Australia because I have been in the squad, had a taste of what international football is like and now I want to do that again."
