It had been four years since last pulling on an Ireland jersey, but Julie-Ann Russell made it look like she had never been away following her stand-out performances against England and France.

In the period between her 60th appearance for the Girls in Green (a 1-0 win over Greece in March 2020) and her 61st cap (the narrow loss to England on July 12th 2024), the classy attacker had moved home from Australia, got married, gave birth to a first child, resumed her playing career at club level and even ran the New York Marathon.

Few people have ever doubted the work-rate and ability of the Moycullen native but her return to the international set-up did come as a surprise to many. She didn't take long to prove that Head Coach Eileen Gleeson was right in trusting that she still had plenty to offer the WNT in their final two EURO 2025 Qualifiers in Group A3.

Russell had been in superb form for Galway United in the SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division - even picking up the Player of the Month Award for March. So Gleeson knew that she was ready to reactivate her international career and encouraged her to bring baby Rosie into camp with her.

The result was a 45-minute display at Carrow Road in Norwich that saw the 33-year-old score the WNT's first goal against England since 1986 and then a Sky Ireland Player of the Match performance - that included a stunning goal and sweet assist for Denise O'Sullivan - in the 3-1 victory over France in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

In 135 minutes of action, Russell produced...

2 goals
1 assist
100% shots on target
85% pass accuracy
75% dribble success
75% recoveries
37 duels won
9 aerial duels won
2 interceptions

Essentially what those numbers reveal is an impact that gave the WNT a huge boost at the right time. Added to what she did on the ball was her high pressing of the English and French defences, her knack of creating space for team-mates and her clever positioning.

Russell enabled Ireland to play higher up the pitch and create more goalscoring opportunities. She had always been that type of player - stretching back to when she made her international debut in October 2009 - and she reminded us that nothing has changed in that regard.

The return of Russell to the WNT has provided a spark at a crucial time as the Qualifying campaign rolls towards the Play-Offs with a Round 1 tie against Georgia to come in October. Her timing could not have been better.