He wore the blame of a nation for the Socceroos' World Cup qualifying defeat to Japan.
But Brad Smith says he's rolling up the sleeves and is ready to go again to help Australia reach the 2018 tournament.
The Socceroos lost 2-0 to Japan on Thursday night, with Smith ruthlessly exposed for the opening goal.
Takuma Asano was played onside by the Australian defence, and waltzed past an inattentive Smith to volley home.
It was every defender's nightmare, and looked worse with every excruciating replay.
Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou stepped in to take the blame for the young full-back, asking fans to blame him and not Smith for the mistake given he set up the team to play with attack-minded wide men.
That hasn't stopped a torrent of criticism for the 23-year-old, which Smith has taken in.
"I've seen (it) in bits," he said, suggesting others close to him wore the criticism harder than he did.
"People in my family and stuff have seen it, but it doesn't really affect me.
"It's not nice to be involved in the goal but there's a lot of aspects that go into a goal.
"I'm not going to stand here and blame people.
"It's something we've got to look at and I've got to look at personally and work out what I could've done better.
"I just get on with my football and make sure I improve and it's better for the next game."
Postecoglou's 3-2-4-1 system asks a lot of the wing-backs, positions filled most regularly by Smith and Mathew Leckie.
Smith's attacking qualities make him a strong candidate for the position, but he was unable to show his attacking strengths on Thursday against a spirited and disciplined Japanese outfit.
The Bournemouth defender said it would be a different story on Tuesday at AAMI Park against Thailand.
"It is a tough role to play, you've got to go up and back," he said.
"We've got to get to grips with how everyone works ... the Japanese affected our formation well.
"I think on Tuesday we'll be really effective against the Thais."
