The first time I encountered Lewis Miller, he hadn't long arrived in a little village called Monte Raposo, in Portugal's Algarve. Still just 21, the rangy full-back had signed for Hibs a couple of weeks prior but had been delayed in joining up with his new team-mates at their summer training camp owing to his participation in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup in Uzbekistan. He had already featured briefly for his new club in the friendly matches played against Hartlepool United and Burton Albion; a whirlwind start for the Sydney native who looked set to sign for Macarthur FC after agreeing a pre-contract move from Central Coast Mariners - until the Easter Road side came calling, that is. 

He strode into the reception area of the Amendoeira Golf Resort; a big grin firmly fixed to his face as he shook hands with the assembled journalists. What followed was 20 minutes of pure, unadulterated Aussie. 'You think I hit hard in the pre-season games, wait until you see me in the Scottish Premiership', was one of his promises before he'd even set foot in Scotland. Footballers don't go through the same rigorous recruitment interviews as those in a 9-5 office job might, but you can imagine the reaction to the defender's claim that Australian players get signed because they 'just want to kill people [and] win win win no matter what' in a regular job interview: "Thank you Mr Miller; we'll er, be in touch..."

His 'rowdy' room-mates in Portugal 15 months ago were Kyle Magennis, Kevin Nisbet, and Ryan Porteous - all of whom have now left the club for pastures new. Yet Miller remains at Hibs and by a strange quirk of fate, is now working under the very man who brought him into the limelight at Central Coast Mariners - and it's having an undoubtedly positive effect on a player whose first season in Scotland was blighted by injury and branded 'more transitional than we'd like' by former Easter Road boss Lee Johnson. 

Speaking last year, Miller explained the connection he has with Montgomery, who he views as something of a father figure. 

"When Nick Montgomery took the top job at Mariners I knew I was going to be in for a good season because he was with me in the club’s academy and he always believed in me and trusted me,” Miller said.  “The second he got the Mariners gig I started playing more games, I was more consistent, and just getting better and better under his influence. To play under someone with his experience, you look up to him and listen to what he has to say and you just get better and better."

Miller was already showing why he had been signed (apart from his apparent bloodlust) towards the tail-end of last season but his performances since Montgomery's arrival have been next-level. He almost notched a goal in the former Sheffield United midfielder's first match in charge, and went one better with the opener in the 2-0 win against St Johnstone in Montgomery's first home game. He then teed up Dylan Vente for Hibs' second in their 4-2 Viaplay Cup quarter-final victory over St Mirren. 

Even without injury ruling fellow right-back Nathaniel Atkinson out of this international break, Miller must have had a good chance of earning a call-up for the green and gold anyway, given his form in green and white so far this season. A lot of that can be put down to Montgomery's influence, going by the overall change at Easter Road and Miller's comments from last year. But Miller himself can take credit for seamlessly stepping into the not-inconsiderable void left by Chris Cadden's long-term injury - and not just filling in, but giving Montgomery a difficult decision when the Scot returns to full fitness.

Many 21-year-olds would baulk at the thought of moving to the other side of the world to further their career but for Miller he knew it was not only the logical next step, but necessary to get to where he wanted to be. And yet for all his bolshy Australianisms and the fact it feels like there's a 50/50 chance he'll put you in a headlock when you speak to him, he is grounded enough to know that he is in a privileged position. Not that that's going to stop him from trying to reach the top.

“There are a lot of people who would like to be in these shoes and I’m lucky enough to fill them so I’m grateful for everything I’ve been given and I have to keep going," he said, after making his senior Socceroos debut against England at Wembley last week, sharing the pitch with Hibs colleague Martin Boyle. 

“I came up against some of the biggest names in football playing in the best leagues in the world but I’m trying to compete with them and I can’t look at them like superstars. I have to see them as levels, because they’re the shoes I want to be in. I just have to keep thriving in Scotland and for Australia and wherever I go and work my way up as high as I can," he added. 

He became Socceroos cap #635 when he replaced St Mirren's Ryan Strain after 74 minutes. Representing the under-23s, or Olyroos, is one thing but togging out for the senior team is a different experience altogether.  

“I genuinely can’t explain it. I’m representing our whole country and everyone back home - my family, my friends, my loved ones. It’s just surreal. It means so much to me to put on the badge," he added. "When I got the call-up, when I got the message on the phone, I had an idea and I pictured what it would be like but it exceeded all expectations and I’m just so happy - but it’s one game, it's just 20 minutes. I’ve got to be realistic; I need to keep going at it, game by game, getting better and better."

It is to Hibs' benefit that they have a player like Miller in their ranks. It's a little over 12 months since he was carpeted by Lee Johnson for not being ready to come on in the dying minutes of a 1-0 defeat by St Mirren in Paisley but the defender has proven to be a quick learner. He's also bounced back from the frustration of that disrupted debut season in the Capital and is a genuinely enjoyable player to watch - from his rampaging runs down the wing to his tendency to get in the face of opponents, although the latter can sometimes veer towards distraction.

Montgomery said recently that he wouldn't want to be a defender having to face Martin Boyle but the same surely applies for wide attackers coming up against all six feet and two inches of Lewis 'loves a tackle' Miller. 

There remains a nagging feeling that Hibs fans haven't yet seen the player at his best, but given the defender is keen to hold onto his national team berth, and with Montgomery clearly picking up where he left off at Mariners, both in terms of his team coaching and his work with the defender, the prospect of Miller getting even better as the season wears on is an exciting one for supporters - of both Hibs and the Socceroos.