IF THE recent four-nations tournament in Cardiff provided the Irish team with a gentle re-introduction to international hockey this season, their programme of matches in Vancouver over the next five days should offer a challenge of much sterner proportions.
In many respects, the trip to Canada will serve as a dress-rehearsal for August's World Cup qualifying tournament with the Irish due to face three of the teams they will also meet in Zimbabwe - England, Canada and Japan. The US complete the line-up for the five-nations tournament, which begins today for Ireland with a match against the hosts, Canada.
"I'm very hopeful right now although I accept our opposition in Cardiff was immature," said coach Terry Gregg after Ireland had scored 22 goals and conceded just one in their games against Poland, Slovakia and Wales. "All we have is potential at the moment we haven't proved anything, but we've certainly taken an important step."
London-based Sarah Kelleher, who recently won English National League honours with her club, Slough, echoes Gregg's cautious optimism in the aftermath of Cardiff but recognises that Canada will give the team a more realistic idea of their current standing.
"The Welsh weekend was an ideal start to the whole season and it was good to see everybody in goal-scoring form there might have been times playing opposition like that in the past when we wouldn't have scored as many goals.
"But the Canadian tournament will show us exactly what we have to do, where we are now at this stage and what we have to work on. It will be such a big step up from our last internationals and it will demand a lot of us, so it's an ideal tournament to have in our build-up to Zimbabwe.
"We have a very good team and with a lot of match practice, hopefully, we'll come up with the results. Player-for-player, we've often matched other teams and still not beaten them, so really it's about getting the whole team playing well together. This week in Canada will tell us an awful lot."
Gregg has admitted that "a few marginal decisions" will have to be made when it comes to choosing his squad for Zimbabwe and with players such as goalkeeper Tara Browne (who is recovering from a back injury), Trish Conway and Catriona O'Kelly (both surprise omissions from the Canada squad) still hopeful of making it to the World Cup qualifier, particular attention will be paid to the form of Lucy McClements, Lindsey McVicker and Karen Humphreys in Vancouver this week.
