Ireland manager Sean Boylan has continued to keep his options open ahead of the forthcoming International Rules series having named an extended panel for this weekend's training camp in France.
Boylan has named a 39-man squad for the four-day training weekend in Toulouse and will hold off finalising his panel until next Wednesday.
While the Australians revealed their hand yesterday, with coach Kevin Sheedy announcing his 24-man squad for the two-match series, Boylan has pointed to the ongoing involvement of players in club and interpro championships for delaying his decision.
"We are currently monitoring the progress of a number of players," explained the former Meath boss. "Some of the lads have not been able to attend as many of the training sessions as we would have liked because of club commitments in particular.
"There are also the usual worries with injuries and fitness, but after this weekend, we will have a clear indication of where we stand."
Despite their poor showing in this year's championship, Meath are well represented at this stage with five players in the squad, the same number as All-Ireland champions Kerry.
Elsewhere, Armagh's Kieran McGeeney could be set for a recall having been ommitted from the side last year. Derry's Paddy Bradley, who expressed his bitter disappointment at missing out last year, also remains in the frame.
As it stands, AFL converts Tadhg Kennelly and Colm Begley remain on course to feature when the 27-man panel is announced.
Kennelly has once again excelled in the Australian code, reaching his second successive Grand Final with the Sydney Swans, while Begley enjoyed a fine debut season.
The situation regarding former Cork star Setanta Ó hAlpin, who is not named in the training panel, is not so clear with Boylan keeping the door open for a possible inclusion next week.
The two-match series, decided on aggregate scores, gets underway in Galway on October 29th with the second Test returning to Croke Park a week later.
Ireland training squad: Aidan O'Mahoney, Marc Ó Sé, Paul Galvin, Kieran Donaghy, Brendan Guiney ( Kerry), Tadhg Kennelly ( Sydney Swans & Kerry), Kevin Reilly, Anthony Moyles, Graham Geraghty, Joe Sheridan, Charles McCarthy ( Meath), Alan Quirke, Ger Spillane, Nicholas Murphy, Donncha O'Connor ( Cork), Kieran McGeeney, Ronan Clarke, Stephen McDonnell ( Armagh), Darren Rooney, Tom Kelly ( Laois), Colm Begley ( Brisbane Lions & Laois), Sean Martin Lockhart, Paddy Bradley ( Derry), Shane Ryan, Alan Brogan ( Dublin), Kieran Fitzgerald, Joe Bergin ( Galway), Sean Cavanagh, Stephen O'Neill ( Tyrone), Brendan Coulter, Michael Walsh ( Down), Alan Dillon, Ger Brady ( Mayo), Paul Barden ( Longford), Dermot Early ( Kildare), Johnny McCarthy ( Limerick), Karl Lacey ( Donegal), Karl Slattery ( Offaly) Dessie Dolan ( Westmeath)