Pim Verbeek chanced his hand against Qatar and was rewarded with the win which booked Australia's spot in the next round of the World Cup qualification path. Central to Verbeek's gamble was putting the heart of the Australian side, Brett Emerton, at the heart of the action, and the ever-reliable 29-year-old did not disappoint.
Emerton has always gone about his business in an under-stated manner and in some respects has been the victim of his own versatility. In the past few years, especially since the 2006 World Cup, Australia has needed experience and strength in defence. Emerton has been oh so willing to step up and along with Mark Schwarzer has been Australia's most consistent performer in the current era.
Even during the Asian Cup, where most of the Australians battled for form in fitness in the stifling south-east Asian heat, Emerton stood tall to be one of the Socceroos' best in a campaign the Aussies have treated as an education.
Emerton is the quintessential Australian athlete. A champion underage swimmer, he could have just about have turned his hand to any sport, but his commitment from a young age was to football. As a young player, he led by example and was rewarded with the captaincy of the Olyroos for the 2000 Olympics campaign. Shortly before that time, he headed off to Europe to try his luck with Feyenoord. Three years at the Dutch club groomed him perfectly for the English Premier League and he has been a staple of the Blackburn Rovers side since 2003.
That wealth of experience has served him well as a Socceroo and he was at his peak in the 2006 World Cup, only to be suspended for that cruel second-round match against Italy in Kaiserslautern. He is not yet 30 but is the fourth most capped Australian player of all-time, making his 66th appearance against Qatar on the weekend. He only has another 22 matches to surpass Alex Tobin as the most capped Australian player and given he is still at his peak, you'd think he'd do that with ease.
However, he is much more than just a loyal servant and his skill and strength on the ball is often forgotten.
In the absence of a game breaker like Tim Cahill, Verbeek gave Emerton a chance to remind us of what he is capable of with the ball at his feet, electing to effectively switch Emerton and Luke Wilkshire and give the experienced right back a more attacking role in midfield.
The results were spectacular, with Emerton scoring twice and playing a major role in the 3-1 win over Qatar. He not only provided speed in attack, but also strength in the box that Australia has missed in the absence of Cahill. Lost in the image of a pure athlete is Emerton's size. He is 185cm and in Asian football that makes him a very dangerous prospect indeed.
He slotted in well in an attacking line-up with three smaller 'touch' players in Holman, Mark Bresciano and Harry Kewell, playing off those players and barging through an intimidated Qatari defence on several occasions. His presence allowed Holman and Bresciano to play roles more suited to their skill set, while Kewell was far less isolated that he was in the two previous matches against Iraq.
Importantly, Australia relished the 4-2-3-1 structure that was employed during the World Cup. It allowed the Socceroos to dominate the centre of the park and push the dangerous Sebastian Quintana wide more often than not.
Quintana still exposed some weaknesses in the inexperienced Australian defence but Jade North and Michael Beauchamp would have learned a great deal from the past three weeks.
Verbeek's luxury against China next week is that he can try out a few players who are yet to see significant game time during his tenure. It also means some of the European-based stars can return to the continent, and have an extra week off before the start of the new season.
And the Dutchman can also be safe in the knowledge that in Emerton he has a player who can genuinely split a game open with his speed and strength. Add in a fully-fit Cahill and Australia's midfield suddenly looks a lot more potent.