HOCKEY Ireland's qualification for November's World Cup finals in Perth may have put next week's European Nations Cup qualifier in the shade until now, but with a place in next year's European finals in Barcelona on offer for the top three finishers in Dublin the players are putting all thoughts of that trip to Australia to the back of their minds.
"Of course it's hard to forget about it completely," said Ireland's Lynsey McVicker, "but we have to focus on this tournament and that is what we are doing."
McVicker is one of just three survivors from the Irish squad that last enjoyed home advantage in a major international tournament, the 1994 World Cup finals at Belfield, along with captain Rachael Kohler and Laura Lee. Karen Humphreys, who also played in 1994, has been ruled out of next week's tournament with a hamstring injury.
Ireland will expect to open their campaign with comfortable wins over Finland on Monday and Poland on Wednesday, making their match against France on Thursday the likely Pool B decider. And with Scotland the probable semi-final opponents for the Pool B runners-up (with Belarus or Italy favourites to play the pool winners), Ireland will be doubly anxious to avenge their defeat by France, the first since 1991, at the World Cup qualifier in September.
"Realistically we should win our pool and go into the final, that's what we have to aim for, but we always have tough matches against France, they play a different style that we're not always comfortable against," said McVicker.
"We're very well-prepared for the tournament, though, and were pleased with how we played against Spain last weekend, considering their standing."
IRISH SQUAD: L McVicker, A Platt (both Ballymoney), R Kohler (capt, Cork Harlequins), T Browne, J Burke, L Caulfield, D Sixsmith (all Hermes), A Boyles, P Magill, K Maybin, C McMahon (all Pegasus), J Orbinson (Portadown), S Parkhill (Randalstown), L Lee (Sutton Coldlfield), C Murray, C O'Brien, L O'Neill (all UCD), E Cregan (Univ of Limerick).
EUROPEAN NATIONS CUP QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT (matches at Belfield unless otherwise stated) - Women's Pool A - Monday: Belarus v Greece, 1.0; Italy v Scotland, Grange Road, 3.0. Wednesday: Greece v Italy, 11.0; Belarus v Scotland, 1.0. Thursday: Belarus v Italy, 1.0; Greece v Scotland, 3.0. Women's Pool B - Monday: France v Poland, 3.0; Ireland v Finland, 7.0. Wednesday: France v Finland, 5.0; Ireland v Poland, 7.0. Thursday: Ireland v France, 7.0; Finland v Poland, Grange Road, 7.0. Saturday and Sunday - cross-over matches.
