HOCKEY:IRELAND'S MEN and women take their first tentative steps toward a potential Olympic place as Paul Revington and Gene Muller, respectively, begin the task of reassessing their panels at four-team tournaments this weekend.
Revington’s task is the tougher one at this stage as he must find a way to replace over 300 caps worth of experience following the retirements of Graham Shaw and Stephen Butler.
John Jermyn and David Hobbs are taking sabbaticals from the national set-up this summer and, with Tim Lewis injured, it leaves the squad short of recognised midfielders for the Celtic Cup in Le Touquet, France.
As such, the South African will hope at least one of Andy McConnell, Alan Giles and Reading’s Chris Cargo use this window of opportunity to stake a claim for a full-time berth.
The trio are among six changes to the panel that contested last autumn’s World Cup qualifiers – the side’s last major tournament – with goalkeeper Dave Fitzgerald coming in for the injured David Harte and Phelie Maguire replacing Mikey Watt in the forwards. Peter Caruth also returns.
They face Scotland this afternoon before playing Wales and France in their bid to retain the Celtic crown.
Captain Ronan Gormley will reach a century of caps if he appears in all three fixtures.
Muller’s women, meanwhile, travel to Essen in Germany for a high profile four-nation event, where they battle the hosting world number four side and have another shot at Australia – who beat Ireland to a World Cup qualifying spot in late April.
Emerging India make up the group.
Muller’s side has a more settled look to it.
Railway Union’s Nikki Evans and Loreto’s Nicci Daly are the two tournament novices; the former will make her international debut, while Daly only made her international bow in February.
Róisín Flinn and US-based Megan Frazer are the two forwards to make way, while the goalkeeper rotation sees Emma Gray step in for Louisa Healy in an otherwise settled panel.
Éimear Cregan will become the country’s most-capped player should she play in two of the weekend’s three fixtures, overhauling former Cork Harlequins’ club mate Rachael Kohler’s mark of 166.
It begins a hectic series of international fixtures for both panels with preparations beginning in earnest for 2011’s European Championships which doubles as an Olympic qualification event.
Weekend Schedule
MEN’S CELTIC CUP (Le Touquet, France): Today (3pm): Ireland v Scotland; Saturday (3pm): Ireland v Wales; Sunday (2pm): Ireland v France.
WOMEN’S FOUR-NATIONS (Essen, Germany): Today (7pm): Ireland v Australia; Saturday (5pm): Ireland v Germany. Sunday (12pm): Ireland v India.
IRELAND (men’s squad for Celtic Cup): Iain Walker (YMCA); David Fitzgerald (Monkstown); Ronan Gormley (captain, Pembroke); John Jackson (Loughborough); Joe Brennan (Glenanne); Conor Harte (Pembroke); Paul Gleghorne (Loughborough); Geoff McCabe (Dragons); David Ames (Cookstown); Andy McConnell (Pembroke); Alan Giles (Pembroke); Chris Cargo (Reading); Eugene Magee (Dragons); Timmy Cockram (Lisnagarvey); Mitch Darling (Leuven); Alan Sothern (Pembroke); Peter Caruth (Annadale); Phelie Maguire (Leuven)
IRELAND (women’s squad for Four-Nations tournament): Emma Clarke (Leicester); Bridget Cleland (Ballymoney); Lizzie Colvin (Loreto); Eimear Cregan (Catholic Institute); Nicci Daly (Loreto); Nicola Evans (Railway Union); Mary Goode (Bray); Emma Gray (Hermes); Michelle Harvey (Pegasus); Lisa Jacob (UCD); Shirley McCay (Dragons); Audrey O’Flynn (UCC); Julia OHalloran (UCC); Cliodhna Sargent (Cork Harlequins); Niamh Small (Loreto); Emma Smyth (Railway Union); Alex Speers (Dragons); Nikki Symmons (Loreto)
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