It's easy to spot Warren O'Hora on the pitch due to his height and it's also easy to see why so many people speak so fondly of his ability.
After making his Bohemians' debut against St Patrick's Athletic this season, the powerful defender helped to continue a strong trend at the Dublin club of producing their own players following his step up from their SSE Airtricity National Under 19 League team.
Now O'Hora is making the leap into the international set-up with the Republic of Ireland Under 19s. He is part of Tom Mohan's squad for three UEFA European Championship qualifiers this week and his elevation to this stage owes a lot to his development.
He describe the Under 19s as a 'great League' and he feels it helped him to catch Mohan's eye and earn he trust of Bohemians' boss Keith Long and his assistant Trevor Croly.
"I think the coaches at the Under 19s, Graham Lawlor and Craig Sexton, absolutely had a big part to play in my development," O'Hora told FAI TV.
"Obviously Keith (Long) and Trevor (Croly) have been big for me as well, just to allow me to train with the first team week in, week out."
O'Hora has been forced to make some big decisions in the last few months. There was a the offer of a scholarship to the United States, rumoured interest from Scottish Premiership clubs, and the chance to impress in Bohemians' first team.
He weighed up his options before choosing to stay at home. For someone who grew up close to Dalymount Park, the opportunity to become a regular for The Gypsies was too good to turn down and so too was the platform in the SSE Airtricity League to maintain his development.
Having started studying in DIT, he will need to learn how to balance football with his academic responsibilities. But he has proved that he can overcome most obstacles, such as impressing amongst a group of full-time professionals.
"Obviously I'm a homegrown player and I think I'm in a good position to play first-team football. Meeting up with the lads for the Irish team, knowing that they are abroad full-time training, is great knowing that I am in that category now," explained O'Hora.
"Hopefully I can just kick on from here and stay humble and stay in my stride."
O'Hora featured in Ireland's 2-1 friendly over Czech Republic at RSC recently, so he knows what to expect from the venue ahead of the games against Cyprus and Serbia.
"They will be tough games but I think we will be up for it and we will be hoping to qualify for the EUROs," he said.
"Tom (Mohan) is a great manager. He really goes through everything and if there are any problems he will sort them out. I think he can motivate players and gives confidence to players to give their all."
There is a clear sense of pride in O'Hora's tone when he speaks about playing for club and country. He knows that being a home-based player in the Ireland set-up is something that he needs to fully embrace.
"It's everything (to play for your country), especially on home soil. I think playing for Ireland down in Waterford is the best thing that can actually happen for these games," he said.
Ireland are aiming to pick things up again following a scoreless draw with Azerbaijan on Wednesday evening in front of a strong crowd in the RSC.
Waterford FC season ticket holders and Waterford IT students can avail of free entry to the next two games, along with FAI Season Ticket holders.
Republic of Ireland U19 Squad
Goalkeepers: Mark Travers (Bournemouth - On Loan at Weymouth), Brian Maher (St Patrick’s Athletic)
Defenders: Tyreke Wilson (Manchester City), Dara O’Shea (West Bromwich Albion - On loan at Hereford United), Canice Carroll (Oxford United), Warren O’Hora (Bohemians), Lee O’Connor (Manchester United), Jordan Doherty (Sheffield United)
Midfielders: Daniel McKenna (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Rian O’Sullivan (Brighton & Hove Albion - On loan at Worthing), Jayson Molumby (Brighton & Hove Albion), Aaron Bolger (Shamrock Rovers), Thomas O’Connor (Southampton), Kian Flanagan (Crystal Palace), Anthony Scully (West Ham United)
Forwards: Michael Obafemi (Southampton), John Martin (Waterford), Thomas Byrne (Drogheda United), Jonathan Afolabi (Southampton), Neil Farrugia (UCD)
Fixtures
UEFA Under-19 Championship 2018 Qualifying Round Group 7
Saturday, October 7
Republic of Ireland v Cyprus, RSC, KO 19:00
Tuesday, October 10
Republic of Ireland v Serbia, RSC, KO 13:00