"I had planned to work part-time or travel in North America for a little while if it didn't work out, but fortunately for me I hit the semi-pro level of Overwatch pretty quickly."

From there, Kennedy says, it was all about reaching the next level and proving that he had what it took to contribute at the professional level. He went on to compete on a variety of teams in tournaments in the United States, Sweden and even South Korea before earning his big break with Dallas.

"As plans for Overwatch League started to be announced, I reached out to Kyle "KyKy" Souder, the head coach for the Dallas Fuel, and asked if they would be looking to sign any support players," says Kennedy.

Having competed against Kennedy in tournaments prior to the commencement of OWL, Souder was impressed and moved quickly to sign the Aussie before other teams could.

Kennedy is a natural fit for the nationally diverse Fuel, who boast eleven players from nine different countries. His positive attitude and sportsmanship makes him a well-regarded figure in the community, as well as an important influence in the Dallas locker room when stress is high and tensions rise between teammates who don't even share a common language.

Like Kennedy, Perth's Jordan "Gunba" Graham also had to move overseas to realise his Overwatch dream. Previously a software engineer for Western Australia's state government, Graham represented Australia in the 2017 Overwatch World Cup before making a run at going fully professional in OWL. He didn't manage to land a roster spot but, as it turns out, he wasn't going to go back to Perth either.

"I didn't make it into Overwatch League, as was the case for many Australians," says Graham. "But I decided that I wanted to be involved in the top level of Overwatch no matter what."

Graham leaned on the weapon that made him a strong support player; a deep understanding of strategy and a knack for making teammates better. Creating video analyses of matches from the World Cup, he eventually obtained a trial with Los Angeles Valiant, and subsequently a job under then-head coach Henry "Cuddles" Coxall.

The role of an assistant coach in Overwatch isn't too different to an equivalent role in football or basketball, according to Graham. Assistant coaches are responsible for executing the head coach's vision, while also working with players individually to improve their decision making.

"My day to day involves studying large amounts of Overwatch footage, taking notes, and then finding methods to transfer this information to the players in a useful format," says Graham.

"For example, in our recent match against Shanghai, the team was still transitioning to a new system under the newly appointed head coach [Moon "MBC" Byung-chul]. But they each worked together spectacularly, and we managed to take the win."

Unlike Kennedy and Graham, Mitch "Uber" Leslie — the third Australian involved in OWL — isn't a member of one of the competing teams. He's actually one of Blizzard's commentators, having moved to Los Angeles to work full-time in Overwatch after bouncing around a few different esports for production giant ESL.

Though he's all business when the studio lights are on, Leslie's national pride is obvious. He played a special role in Australia's World Cup campaign, having been involved in selecting the squad that would represent the nation, and still finds time to hang out with the other Aussies when off air.

"I spend long stints away from home and it's refreshing to just sit back and chat with a fellow Aussie," says Leslie.

"Custa is also from Adelaide, so we've spent plenty of time reminiscing about the things we miss; stuff like our mutual university campus, the Adelaide Fringe Festival and numerous Hindley Street stories. It's nice to drop the overly professional front and have a good chinwag."

Leslie is bullish on Australia's future in Overwatch, despite the limitations of the country's technology infrastructure on esports growth. He attributes his optimism in Australian talent to the enthusiastic sports culture that sees Aussies wake up at 4am to cheer for the Socceroos.

"The same drive and determination that propels so many of our traditional sports teams to compete internationally is still ingrained in this current generation," says Leslie. "Despite our smaller player base, we've been able to put ourselves on the map as an esports nation."

"Aussies as fans are loved by many globally for our gusto, fun-loving nature, and an attitude that demands you leave your ego at the door. Hard not to get behind that."