Now that the dust has settled on Ireland's campaign to reach the 2018 World Cup in Russia, we thought the time was right to reflect on the performances of the players trusted by Martin O'Neill over the past 15 months.
We published player ratings at full time of every game over the qualifiers, so now we've tried to assign a rating to each of the major players who made enough of an impact to warrant a rating, which means the likes of Kevin Long, Conor Hourihane, and Seanie Maguire are not included due to not seeing enough action.
The number represents their performances over the campaign, their impact on results and the team's performance, and the change in their standing in the squad from the start to the bitter, bitter end. This isn't a rating of how good they are as such, it's more about how their campaign went.
With that in mind, here's how we graded O'Neill's current crop which will undoubtedly look a bit different as we go again for Euro 2020.
Darren Randolph - 8
An outstanding campaign overall, but in the biggest games at the most intense moments - Cardiff and Copenhagen spring to mind - we saw Randolph's true value to this Ireland team. International football is absolutely infested with crap goalkeepers, but thankfully that is not a problem for us. At 30, Randolph has another two qualification campaigns in him, and if he keeps going as he has been he will be important in both.
Cyrus Christie - 7
Did Cyrus Christie have a number of dodgy moments defensively after filling in for Seamus Coleman? Yes, he is prone to lapses in concentration and did not have a great amount of international experience due to having our captain nailed-on as a starter ahead of him, but Christie is someone who can be very proud of their campaign.
His attitude was tremendous, never afraid to take his man on and actually try to penetrate a defence, and he showed himself to be a very useful attacking threat. He's unlucky that his place in the team is gone when Coleman returns, but there were several times after that horrible injury where we felt lucky to have Christie as a replacement.
Seamus Coleman - 7
Up until that supposed tackle from Neil Taylor, Coleman was thriving in possession of the captain's armband. His refusal to accept defeat against Georgia at home resulted in a goal that had a closer resemblance to a try in rugby such was his determination to not be stopped, and how we could have done with him in the return leg to offer some leadership where there was none.
Badly, badly missed.
Ciaran Clark - 7
Having seen Shane Duffy jump ahead of him in the pecking order at Euro 2016, the fact that he is now first-choice centre-back along with the Derry man speaks volumes as to the job Clark did over the past year or so.
There has been a changing of the guard at the heart of the Irish defence and while Duffy has unquestionably out-shone Clark, the Newcastle man has stepped up and naturally looks a far more confident defender than he did prior to Euro 2016.
John O'Shea - 3
Started against Serbia in the opening game of the campaign but would not feature again as injuries have taken their toll. A dependable defender, a great leader, and a fantastic servant to Ireland, it's a shame that O'Shea played such an insignificant role in his last campaign but it was time to look to the future.
Shane Duffy - 9
The shining star of the campaign, Duffy went from being a player you would be worried about if he was picked to play in a friendly to the first name on our team-sheet. His defending is heroic at times, fully committed and with a total lack of regard for his own safety, but it is effective and when you add in the fact that his aerial prowess is such that he was our best - sorry, ONLY - goal threat at the end of the campaign.
Man of the campaign, and future Ireland captain.
Richard Keogh - 4
Like O'Shea, Keogh started the match in Belgrade but lost his place as a result. The outstanding form of Duffy and Clark, as well as a questionable patch with Derby, meant that he couldn't really get a look in. Should be held in high regard for his role in the Euro 2016 campaign but was not a factor in the failed journey to Russia.
Stephen Ward - 6
A disaster in the second leg against Denmark was his only bad performance of the campaign at the worst possible time. Before his decision to try and beat Yussuf Poulsen backfired spectacularly, Ward had been almost flawless but at 32 it remains to be seen what his role will be next time out.
Glenn Whelan - 3
Whelan's Ireland career ended in Tbilisi. The good things that he brought to the table in recent campaigns - his interceptions and reading of the game from a deeper midfield role - were absent in the performances against Serbia and Moldova early, but the Georgia came cost him his place to David Meyler who performed at a level that suggested it should have happened earlier.
James McCarthy - 3
Injuries, injuries, injuries. The extremely frustrating case of James McCarthy's Ireland career. Having only played against Georgia and Moldova we've factored in his lack of availability into the rating. Everton have recently made some changes to their medical staff so hopefully McCarthy can put those problems behind him and recover properly.
David Meyler - 7
At the start of the campaign nobody would have believed that Meyler would lead Ireland out as captain for one of our biggest games in recent times - away to Wales - but not only did he do that, he did it well. The Hull City man is a natural leader, a midfield organiser, and someone who understands that playing in central midfield requires you to keep your positional wits about you and ALSO show for the ball.
Harry Arter - 6
Arter's Ireland career has been a bit of a mixed bag so far, with outstanding performances against Austria and Denmark coming in between poor performances, but he does seem to be starting to get to grips with international football and is unquestionably a valueable player to have. Now in the discussion for first-coice in a defensive midfield role, that represents a solid campaign for the Bournemouth man.
Jeff Hendrick - 3
A very disappointing campaign on the back of a hugely positive campaign that culminated with Hendrick being arguably our best performer at Euro 2016. It looked to be going so well when the Burnley man scored minutes into our first game with Serbia, that was his last meaningful contribution and there were too many games in which the game passed him by completely in midfield.
Perhaps it's the expectation of being a man we depend on for creativity, and maybe he wasn't helped by being asked to play in a midfield where the ball is mostly 20 feet above his head, but either way it did not work out.
Wes Hoolahan - 6
Does absolutely not deserve the bullshit that surrounds his inclusion - or lack thereof - in every single Ireland teamsheet, and when he was called upon he did well - the assist in Austria, Moldova away, and the first half of Georgia at home - but you couldn't say he was influential in this campaign as a whole although that's not entirely his fault.
It's hard to accept that this is the end of the road, but at least we don't have to listen to Dunphy bang the drum anymore.
Aiden McGeady - 3
Has been phased out of the Irish team for simply not offering enough. There were audible groans when McGeady took to the pitch as a sub against Denmark this week which sum up how even his most adamant defenders have lost faith in the idea that his quick feet and close control can make any sort of impact in an Ireland jersey. An inability to beat the first man will be the defining memory of his time in an Ireland shirt.
Robbie Brady - 5
The Burnley man put in some decent performances, but overally failed to live up to the promise he showed in France last summer and at the back end of the Euro 2016 qualification campaign. We have not yet found the correct role for Brady in the Irish team, as he has been asked to play on both wings, at #10, and in central midfield, sometimes in the one game, which would not have helped him at all.
Even the standard of his usually immaculate set-pieces dipped over the past few months. He's got time, and he's got the ability, but O'Neill must look into how to get more from Robbie Brady.
James McClean - 8
Our top-scorer in qualifying with four goals, McClean was a joy to watch over the past year as his love of playing for Ireland put fear in opposition defenders and referees all over Europe. The Derry man was a leader, working his bollocks off for every minute of every game he played in, and is someone that every Irish fan can be proud of for his efforts to get us to a World Cup.
Callum O'Dowda - 7
To go from a player not many Irish fans had any familiarity with to starting away against Denmark in a World Cup playoff represents a very encouraging campaign for O'Dowda, who was given a chance against Moldova away and took it by proving he wasn't scared to show for the ball and take an opponent on. One who could grow further into an important player for O'Neill who is already a big fan.
Shane Long - 3
This breaks our heart, as Long will always give his absolute best in the green jersey and will still be an important player for the next campaign, but as our number nine and chief goalscorer, the 2018 World Cup campaign was an awful one for Long. 1 goal - away to Moldova - represents an awful return in front of goal, and while he was always about offering more than goals in his chasing and harrying of defenders, he struggled throughout and offered very little.
He'll keep his head up, and we sincerely hope he can notch a few goals for Southampton soon and get back to his best.
Jon Walters - 5
When fit he did his job well, and although he wasn't at his best away to Serbia or Georgia he came up big at home to Austria and proved his importance to this Irish setup. Unfortunately, injury woes hindered his ability to make an impact on the campaign and he missed the entirety of the most important part - the end.
Sadly, it's hard to escape the thought that we are really going to miss him when he hangs up his international boots.
Daryl Murphy - 7
Had Ireland managed to hold on at 1-0 against Denmark and somehow qualify for the World Cup, Daryl Murphy would have been one of the most unlikely of heroes having scored massive goals away in Serbia at the start of the campaign and at home to Moldova. We turned to him in the midst of an injury crisis and he did an impressive job, but was failed by being asked to cover the work of an entire front-three for the most part.
Player ratings - by their very nature - are debateable so don't be shy to get in touch and let us know who you feel we judged harshly, or went too soft on.
