Shanghai Shenhua forward Tim Cahill has said he is not just in the Socceroos' lineup to make up the numbers after his two second-half strikes in Tajikistan took him to a record 41 goals on Australia's all-time list.
Cahill, who turns 36 in December, followed up a clinical, short-range finish with a trademark header as the Asian Cup champions stayed unbeaten in 2018 AFC World Cup qualifying with a 3-0 victory in Dushanbe on Tuesday night.
"I want more and I really want to do well... I'm not here to make up the numbers," Cahill told ffa.com.au.
"I'm very proud [of scoring] ... 41 goals for my country. When I get my chance I want to take it."
After coming off the bench in the 5-0 victory over Bangladesh in Perth last week, Cahill took the starting place of Nathan Burns up front on the artificial pitch in Tajikistan.
While Australia made inroads against the Tajiks in the first half, Cahill says that forcing the issue was the reason why they could not convert their early dominance into goals.
"I hardly touched the ball in the first half," he said.
But Cahill said the result was the most important thing as Australia stretched their unbeaten streak to eight games -- their best since the Socceroos' post-2011 Asian Cup streak under Holger Osieck.
"I really want to do well and I want them [the Socceroos] to know this is a big opportunity for us as Australians to do something special for our country," he said.