Do we dare ask: What if Troy Parrott is only getting started?

In the privacy of Ireland’s team room at the Castleknock Hotel ahead of the World Cup playoff against the Czech Republic in March, Heimir Hallgrímsson hung a series of giant images from the delirious 3-2 victory over Hungary on the walls.

This reporter gained access to the team room to interview Hallgrímsson, and one image that hung beside the PowerPoint screen stood out above the others. The photo was taken behind the goal as Troy Parrott scored, his face contorted in desperate effort to reach a stud to the dropping ball. It was the only image we had seen that foregrounded the desperation of his effort rather than the deftness of his touch.