But, at 33, he keeps piling up the milestones - his latest achievement being part of the unheralded J1 League outfit Machida Zelvia which has taken Japan’s top-tier by storm in their first ever season at such an exalted level.

Duke is one of just three Aussies operating in Asia’s most competitive league - the others are Mitch Langerak and Thomas Deng - and he delights in giving the cynics pause for thought in the autumn of a career characterised by never-say-die commitment.

An integral part of his club’s promotion push last season with 10 goals, the former Central Coast, Shimizu S.Pulse and Western Sydney Wanderers forward has been forced to take more of a backseat in his second J1 coming - but has still managed four league goals in 493 minutes of league football (six in all competitions).

Duke has started all four of Machida’s past four games as they gaze down from the J1 summit with 49 points from 24 matches, five clear of second-placed Gamba Osaka.

It’s stupendous stuff for both Duke - who has served the national team with distinction during a 12-goal, 40-cap run - and one of Tokyo’s least glamorous clubs.

The symmetry of battlers defeating the odds is inescapable, with Duke and his team perfectly aligned.

Reflecting on the season so far, Duke told FTBL: “I think what we’ve accomplished has surprised everyone, even ourselves.

“Since round seven or eight we’ve been riding a bit of a wave - and we’re saying to ourselves now ‘why can’t we be J1 champions’.

“For the history of this club, being in the J1 for the first time, it’s a credit to everybody involved.

“The competitiveness and depth within the squad is second to none. We’ve had moments where we’ve lost national team players to other clubs, injuries and rotations but everybody still seems to get the job done.

“Our coach (Go Kuroda) has also showed he’s prepared to be ruthless when he has to be. He’s not afraid to drop players if he’s not happy with your performance, even off the back of a win.

“That keeps the level high, knowing that nobody is safe and you can never get comfortable.

“I’ve had to be patient after several cameos off the bench but have started the last four games - that has included a three game winning streak (prior to a 2-1 loss to John Hutchinson’s Yokohama F Marinos heading into a brief break for the Olympic Games). 

“It’s up to me to keep my position now. I need to step up to another level to do that.”

Whilst he continues to defy the ravages of time at club level, Duke has been dissatisfied with his recent Socceroos output, goalless since scoring against Bahrain back in January.

“I’ve not been happy with my form for Australia,” he said. “I haven’t scored in a few games now and that’s not acceptable for me at that level.

“If that puts me out of contention (for the next round of World Cup qualifiers) I’ll have to accept it because I need to be up there banging in goals to be competing with Kusini Yengi who is flying at the moment.

“Hopefully I can stay in the mix by what I’m doing in Japan - either way you need top competition in the Socceroos and I’m proud of how Kusini has been doing and I’ll need to be at my best to keep pushing my own case.

“I’ve always said to Graham Arnold I don’t want to get in the way of any youngsters who are doing unbelievable and Kusini could end up being the main guy for the next how ever many years.

“It could be his position to take. From my perspective I’m a Socceroos supporter first and a player second and I just want to see the national team do well.

“I’ve been pretty happy with what I’ve been able to do at national team level and from now on everything else is a bonus.

“I’ll try and keep myself involved as long as possible but it’s all about performing. Right now, club football is the priority: winning J1 would be an amazing thing to have on the CV.”

Duke, who has over 100 J1 appearances under his belt now, is off contract at the end of this season and hoping to produce the performances which will generate an extension, or an attractive offer elsewhere.

“There’s a huge incentive for me there - I just want to do everything I can to help the team, hopefully reach double figures in terms of goals and give myself every chance of continuing to play at a very good level," he emphasised.

Whether that might include an A-League return is open to question, with Duke adding: “I’ll always have a soft spot for the A-League … it’s where I started my professional year.

“But it’s not so encouraging to see where the game is at right now back home (amidst a financial squeeze across the competition).

“There are question marks over a few things and, for me, I’d like to go back when things are more stable, and not where it’s at at the moment I guess.”

Duke’s mileage is low in comparison to an average European striker who at the same age has likely played around 600 competitive games.

“I didn’t sign my first pro deal till I was 21 and there aren’t too many games in the legs (just over 300), so I think I'm fresh enough to keep going for a while yet,” he pointed out.