DeVere stakes claim to become a Socceroos fixture

Australia defender Luke DeVere described his international debut against Germany as "a baptism of fire" but after a reputation-enhancing performance, he is hoping to back up again for Tuesday’s (AEDT) international against FYR Macedonia in Skopje

Luke DeVere's debut for Australia was a baptism of fire (Bongarts) Source: Bongarts

The Brisbane Roar centre-back, promoted to the starting line up alongside Alex Wilkinson in the 2-2 draw in Kaiserslautern, will likely step aside if AFC Asian Cup star Trent Sainsbury recovers from the hamstring strain which ruled him out against Die Mannschaft.

But the 25 year-old did little to harm his cause in a debut to remember.

After admitting to making some errors early on as the nerves kicked in, DeVere emerged as a last-gasp saviour for his team, chasing down a rampaging Lukas Podolski in stoppage time and doing just enough to ensure the shot was off target.

"I wasn't going to give up on it and fortunately I did just enough to put him off," the defender recalled.

"I looked up and saw he was away and thought (if he scored) it would be the worst way possible to end the game, so I just did everything I could to get close to him.

“It was a dream to play for Australia and to play in a game like that was a baptism of fire."

He admitted that, having only played a handful of games for Roar since his return from the K-League, it was his previous connection with ex-Brisbane, now Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou that won him a call up in the first place.

“When you look at the last couple of months I came back to Brisbane from Korea and played a few games before having the chance to be called up," DeVere said.

"I think if I hadn't played under Ange previously, and with him knowing what I can do and what I am about, I don’t feel this chance would have come so soon.

"At the final whistle I was out on my legs and every muscle was cramping, but at the same time if you said we were playing that game again tomorrow I would be ready to do it again.

"It’s up to me now to continue doing what I can do and prove that I am worth bringing in again.”

Despite being in previous camps without ever making the breakthrough, DeVere never wavered in his determination to land that elusive first cap.

"Coming in a few times and never really getting on the field was a great experience but I always had ambitions to push on from there," he said.

"There were a few injuries and a few missed opportunities and it (looked) to maybe have passed me by a bit, but I was always confident that if I believed in myself and my ability that the chance would eventually come again.

"The boys were fantastic for somebody like myself coming in for his first game, whether it was Maty Ryan, Alex Wilkinson or Mile Jedinak... when I made a mistake, or was a bit off, they were still very positive and that made a difference for me.

"It wasn't the perfect game for me in terms of passes (going astray) and my positioning here and there but I back myself to improve on that and get better with each game."

With the next FIFA World Cup cycle kicking off in June, DeVere added: "There are some big games coming up and hopefully a lot of players out to stake claim moving forward. It’s not a sprint it’s a marathon."