Andrew Charter reckons he was two weeks away from giving up before finally earning his Kookaburras debut.
Thirteen years and a record 250 Tests later, the goalkeeper will retire as the most-capped Australian male shot-stopper of all time.
Charter's retirement follows the departure of long-time coach Colin Batch, whose replacement is set to be announced on Friday, and captain Aran Zalewski.
Long-time back-up Johan Durst is expected to take over as the No.1 in the net but at 33 can expect competition from emerging pair Ben Rennie and Mitch Nicholson.
Three-time Olympian Charter said there was a moment of clarity after the side's disappointing quarter-final exit in Paris this year.
"I suddenly realised that I don't think I would be able to hold myself to the same standard over the next year or two that I would expect the young keepers I would be training with to hold themselves to," the 37-year-old said.
"I knew I couldn't commit to another four years and to the elite grind but I know that I'm walking away proud of my career."
The Canberra product will depart as the 12th most-capped Kookaburra, boasting an Olympic silver medal, World Cup title, three Commonwealth Games golds, two Champions Trophies and two Pro League titles.
"I was about two weeks away from quitting hockey altogether when I got the call up," he said of his 2011 debut.
Charter was in the net when Australia won a shoot-out against the Netherlands to win the 2014 World Cup and also when they lost a shoot-out to Belgium in the Tokyo 2021 Olympics gold medal game.
"The highs are the biggest highs in the world ... but then the lows are backbreaking and it makes you question why we do this," he said.
"But that's why we love it and why we get addicted to it."
