Socceroos' soaring Martin Boyle has carried on where he left off on international duty, hammering another goal to move ever closer to a century for his Scottish club Hibernian.
Hibs boss David Gray is backing the re-energised 31-year-old to reach the landmark, possibly before the end of the season, after he scored his 94th goal in the green shirt on Saturday in the 3-0 Scottish Premiership win over St Johnstone.
It was stand-in captain Boyle's 15th strike of the season for the Edinburgh side on a day he and his fellow internationals Lewis Miller and Nectar Triantis were all saluted by Gray for their efforts after their exhausting international duty with Australia.
Three goals and three points at Easter Road! 🥬 pic.twitter.com/sDNRtMokNp
— Hibernian Football Club (@HibernianFC) March 29, 2025
Boyle's efforts after two World Cup clashes - in which he scored against Indonesia in Sydney and featured in another win in China amid a 34,000km round trip - were remarkable.
He struck with a superb goal, Hibs' second of the afternoon, driving into the heart of St Johnstone's defence, bamboozling defender Barry Douglas and firing home a low angled shot.
Boyle's tally now matches his most prolific season for the club after a dismal, injury-hit start to the campaign, and he didn't appear too chuffed about being brought off for a well-deserved rest with a quarter-of-an-hour left.
"He's chasing down this 100 goals for the club, so he's going to have to go some to get there before the end of the season, but he's got seven games left to do it and he's definitely hungry enough to want to try and do it," said Gray.
"I think that's maybe why he had a wee look at me when I took him off today!"
Boyle's contract is up once the season ends amid his third spell at Easter Road, where he's become a bit of a folk hero, but there's no guarantee he'll stay at the club, with rumours abounding he could even end up going to the A-League.
He's certainly playing some of his best football, with Gray raving about his currrent strike-rate.
"It's fantastic, fully deserved, he's obviously a fantastic player, such a threat, especially on the break," he said.
"He fully deserves all the praise because of the consistency and performances he's shown ever since he's been a Hibs player."
Boyle's scintillating form since mid-December when the club were bottom of the table has helped transform Hibs' fortunes in an unbeaten 15-match league run that's propelled them to third in the table as they scent a place in European competition next season.
The 21-year-old Triantis, too, has been magnificent for them and put in another tireless 90-minute shift in midfield after his first trip abroad with the Socceroos.
"I know we always think it's great to go away and represent their country, but it's a huge effort," said Gray.
"I think Nectar is a broken man down there, absolutely shattered. I don't know what time of day he thinks it is right now because that's the first time he's done it.
"The international boys that have travelled so far, how they recover, rest and prepare properly, it's down to their level of professionalism."
