A month after a chastening World Cup campaign that saw them lose four of their five games, Ireland should find their next challenge considerably less daunting as they attempt to qualify for the top tier of the 2023 European Championships on home turf.
The Sport Ireland Campus in Abbotstown hosts the four-team qualifier, only the winners of which will secure a place in the Europeans in Germany next summer. The line-up is completed by three nations who are all outside the top 20 in the world rankings – the Czech Republic (23), Poland (27) and Turkey (33) – and have never beaten Ireland in any of their previous meetings.
Ireland, at 13 in the list, will, then, carry the favourite’s tag, of the red hot kind, in to the event, the Poles their opponents in their opening game on Thursday (7.30pm), before they take on the Czechs on Saturday (1pm) and Turkey on Sunday (1pm).
Coach Sean Dancer has been able to recall Niamh Carey after her college commitments in the United States ruled her out of the World Cup. She, then, reunites with her twin sister Michelle in the squad which features all of the players who competed in Amsterdam, including Caoimhe Perdue who has recovered from the broken bone in her hand that she sustained against South Africa.
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“Niamh has pushed her way back in to the team, and it will be exciting to see her and Michelle back in action connecting with each other on the field,” said Dancer. “We continue to have a good balance of experience and youth, with speed and skill – that will be important for us over the whole field to play the style of play we want.
“The Dublin Europeans is an important tournament for this group and we need to rise to the challenge and expectations of winning it. The World Cup experience overall was tough, but also an excellent opportunity to progress our game. We have worked hard in our review period, and made the adjustments we feel we need.”
Hosts Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Belgium are already assured of their places in the line-up for the 2023 Championships, leaving four more slots to be filled. As well as the Dublin tournament, there are qualifiers taking place in Lithuania, England and France over the next 10 days, the winners of which will book those remaining places.
Irish squad: A McFerran (SV Kampong), E Murphy, C Hamill, S Torrans (all Loreto), H McLoughlin, S McAuley, M Carey, N Carey (all UCD), L Tice, D Duke (all Old Alexandra), R Upton, N Carroll (Catholic Institute), K Mullan (Ballymoney), S Hawkshaw (Railway Union), C Beggs (Ulster Elks), K McKee (Pegasus), E Curran (Pembroke Wanderers), C Perdue (UCC). Reserves: S O’Brien (Loreto), Z Malseed (Ards), E Getty (Queens), H Micklem (Old Alexandra), E McLoughlin (UCD).
EuroHockey Championships qualifying tournament (at Abbotstown) – Thursday: Czech Republic v Turkey, 5.15; Ireland v Poland, 7.30. Saturday: Poland v Turkey, 10.45; Ireland v Czech Republic, 1.0. Sunday: Poland v Czech Republic, 10.45; Ireland v Turkey, 1.0.
