Duke, who turned 27 last month, admits he is not a prolific goal-scorer, but says to judge him as a striker is a mistake. Yes, he earned his four caps (and two goals) for Australia under Postecoglou's predecessor Holger Osieck, who picked him as a front-line forward. But nowadays Duke operates as a winger or wide midfielder. It's a positional shift which, he says, has vastly improved his technical ability and tactical flexibility as he has had to work hard to improve his ball skills, touch, pace and movement to survive in a league where the full-backs and wingers all tend to be quick and good on the ball. "I don't think he [Postecoglou] ever really looked at me," says Duke when asked about his lack of opportunity following Osieck's demise "I suppose I had to score quite regularly to be on his radar, but I don't play as a striker any more.

"I still get thrown up front every now and then to play as a target man and chase second balls and passes through the channels but most of the time I am used on the flanks. I have probably only played as an out-and-out striker half a dozen times since I came here in 2015." Duke has had an eventful three seasons in Japan. He has endured relegation, enjoyed promotion and recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury that kept him out for most of the campaign as Shimuze bounced back from J-2. "I did get frustrated with Ange when he used to say he would pick players who were on form and playing regularly and then go and pick many players who were not starting for their clubs. I did get frustrated with Ange when he used to say he would pick players who were on form and playing regularly and then go and pick many players who were not starting for their clubs. "I felt I was starting regularly and playing in a good-standard league in Japan so it was frustrating.

"I used to think I should have got a chance, but that was his choice and I had to just keep going and working on my game and my form. "It is a big motivation now for when we play them though, but to be honest I haven't really given the national team a lot of thought after such a long absence." Duke's ascension to Socceroo colours had been quite meteoric. The Western Sydney-born youngster had been playing for the Central Coast youth team alongside Bernie Ibini and, as he explains, there was room for only one to get a senior contract. "I had been in the Mariners youth team and had done pretty well there, scoring regularly enough. Bernie Ibini got the first contract a year ahead of me, then I got a chance." The Mariners, under current Sydney FC boss Graham Arnold, won the A-League championship in 2012-13, Duke's first full season with the club. He made 21 appearances, scoring six goals, and came off the bench with 17 minutes remaining in the grand final.

That was enough to convince Osieck to include him in a squad made up of A-League players for the East Asian Cup in South Korea in July 2013. It was a tournament that pitted an under-strength Australia against an equally experimental Japan, South Korea and China. Duke scored twice (in the 3-2 loss to Japan and the 4-3 defeat to China), those goals representing the high watermarks of his international career. "Holger gave me a chance. I got four caps, scored twice. I was only in my first season as a professional player. I would have been 22 or so then. I had been pleased with the progress I had made. "What turned out be my last game for Australia was a bit of a disaster. I came off the bench with 10 minutes to go to replace Josh Kennedy in that game, we got hammered 6-0 by Brazil." Whether Duke is among those reconsidered by a new coach or not, he is adamant he is a much better player than he was when he last turned out in the green and gold.

That is to do with the demands of the game in Japan, increased maturity and that he likes living in the land of the rising sun. "I love living and playing here in Japan," he said. "Football is one of the major sports in this country, so it's very different to Australia. There seems to be a lot more time and effort put into the game here, and the fans are very passionate. "You can see how much they care about the game and about improving Japanese players and the standard here by the investment and time they put into youth development. "We played against a university team in a pre-season game, and they were probably the equivalent of an A-League side. "The technical ability of the younger players is so much greater than it is for most Australian boys at the same age.

"They are very committed to improving. Our youth team, for example, go to school during the day but train every night. They only get a Monday evening off." Duke says that he was able to get away with things in the Australian domestic competition that he couldn't in the J-League. "I would like to think that I am a much better player now than I used to be when I was back in Australia. Being honest, my technical ability let me down when I was in the A-League, when I was playing with my back to goal. "Playing as a winger here means I have had to sharpen up a lot. You operate in small pockets of space, lots of half turns, quick passes. "At training the small sides' possession games are unbelievable. The skills of so many players with their one or two-touch passes are at a very high level. When I first came here I was chasing shadows. I could not get a look in.