Opportunity for DeVere comes with McCloughan ruled out of Friday's A-League minor semi-final second leg against Central Coast Mariners at Suncorp Stadium, with scans to his injured groin today revealing he is out for the rest of this season.

DeVere, 19, might lack the experience of McCloughan, but he said his time with the Australian Under-20s last year had steeled him for the cut-throat environment of finals football.

Drawing on the wisdom of captaining the Young Socceroos to the semi finals of theU19 Asian Championships last year - where they earned a place in this year's FIFA U19 World Cup - will be crucial ahead of the Suncorp Stadium clash.

Slotting into the team alongside Craig Moore will also give DeVere plenty of confidence.

He said: "It's a different sort of scenario but the same sort of pressure.

"It's unfortunate that Josh got that injury, it must've been pretty bad for him to come off (in the first leg). But if I need to come in and do a job I'm prepared to do that.

"I've had a bit of experience with the boys this year so I think I can slot back in nicely."

DeVere's involvement in Roar Youth's 1-0 win in Perth on Saturday meant that he missed the first team's first leg in Gosford on Friday night, but he said it was good to get some match fitness under his belt after limping off with a hamstring injury against Adelaide United nearly a month ago.

He said: "The fitness felt all right, I was just making sure I could go through everything in a game scenario

"It was a long trip to get that game time under my belt but it was what I needed to do.

"You always need those games to get back into things so I'll be better for it."

 But DeVere is braced for a tough night on Friday, with the Mariners expected to throw everything into attack to overcome a 2-0 deficit earned by the Roar in the first leg.

"They'll be pushing forward to get a few goals quickly I guess. They've got some good players up front, big strong players, but I feel confident enough to do a job on them," he said.