V. Sundramoorthy's transfer deadline coup to bring his former LionsXII captain Isa Halim to Tampines Rovers is a two-way bonus that will strengthen the Stags' midfield while giving the tough-tackling midfielder a way back into the Singapore national team.
The transfer may have been sealed with only hours to spare but was a move engineered by the Tampines' boss for several weeks.
Sundram knew his trusted workhorse had been having a tough time since they collaborated to win the 2013 Malaysia Super League (MSL) title. A few phone calls later, he beat S.League rivals Warriors FC for his signature.
Isa's contribution to the 2013 MSL title run never made front page headlines, with stars like Shahril Ishak, Baihakki Khaizan and Hariss Harun attracting the plaudits in attack and defence. But the local football fraternity knew the 29-year-old's importance in doing the dirty work in midfield to make the team tick like clockwork.
While his peers Shahril, Baihakki and Hariss left for greener pastures across the Causeway, Isa chose to stay on.
There was talk that two Malaysian clubs were chasing his signature but he wanted to help new coach Fandi Ahmad guide the youngsters in what was likely to be a tough season ahead.
He was a natural choice for the armband but what ensued was a series of events that seriously set Isa's career back.
Instead of playing his usual no-nonsense game as a defensive midfielder, the captain tried to do too much.
Seeing his young teammates struggle to move the ball up the pitch, he took it upon himself to attempt ambitious passes that were never his forte. Along with that came darting runs into the attacking third -- another skill set that Isa's tough-tackling demeanor was never made for.
It wasn't bringing out the best in his game. The former Home United player admitted in early 2014: "I've been trying to do more in matches and it just hasn't worked out for me. It's been frustrating."
Then came the decision in 2014 to go under the knife for a troublesome heel injury that ruled him out until the Malaysia Cup and Suzuki Cup campaigns towards the end of last year.
By then, he was not in national team coach Bernd Stange's plans. Although he regained full fitness in time for this year's MSL campaign, he was a pale shadow of his commanding self and had to settle for a LionsXII bench role, with the emergence of Izzdin Shafiq and return of Safuwan Baharudin.
And last week, his LionsXII journey came to an end with the surprise announcement of his joining Sundram at Tampines.
A last roll of the dice some might say. But there is a counter view that is perhaps more valid.
Sundram's tenure as Stags' coach this season hasn't propelled the once mighty giants out of their slumber. New foreign players Eddy Viator, Pedrag Pocuca and Roberto Alviz have struggled to make an impact.
With 11 goals conceded and 12 scored, the central midfield has been an Achilles' heel for the team. Fabian Kwok and Aqhari Abdullah have taken turns to start alongside Alviz, who, himself, has not lived up to the lofty standards he set at Brunei DPMM the season before.
The former LionsXII hero's arrival will probably see Kwok and Aqhari playing second fiddle but there is more to it than taking a back seat for the duo. Both have the attributes to be accomplished central midfielders in the mould of Isa yet what they need now is a mentor who has a proven pedigree in the holding role.
Add Isa's desperation to prove himself again and this could work wonders for Sundram and his assistant coach Aleksandar Duric, a former international teammate of the new arrival.
Duric witnessed Isa's never-say-die attitude when they both played crucial roles as Radojko Avramovic's Singapore team that lifted the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup. Isa wasn't a starter in that campaign until Hariss' tournament-ending injury in the loss to Indonesia forced the former Protectors' enforcer into a crucial role he handled with aplomb.
"We need a player like Isa," Duric told ESPN FC. "He has played lots of big matches with the national team and LionsXII. He is one of the fittest players in Singapore, and a true professional. With him in the squad, he gives us more stability in the middle and, hopefully, we can climb up the table."
His first taste of S.League action since 2011 -- Isa previously played for Woodlands Wellington in addition to Home United -- will come against Warriors in the TNP League Cup on Wednesday night at a place he used to call home.
It will come full circle when Isa steps on to Woodlands Stadium where he made his professional debut in 2005. It will be a chance to start afresh and provide a possible launch pad to wrestle his way back into the national team in time for next year's Suzuki Cup campaign.
Last chance saloon, you say? Think again. This could be a move that not only brings back the Isa Halim we once knew and loved, but a smart piece of S.League transfer business to revive Tampines' ailing fortunes.