Testing time for senior players

Men's Hockey: Ireland's preparation for their Olympic qualifiers are likely to take a number of international players out of play before Christmas (Pembroke and Glenanne to be hardest hit), due to a proposed tour to Chile.

Post Christmas heads will again go down to concentrate on the main qualifying event in New Zealand. Clubs will hardly see their top players for some months.

But Irish hopes going into the event may not be so high and results of recent international competitions in Europe suggest that New Zealand may be a tournament too far for what is a talented bunch of players.

If the European Championships are any measure Ireland have not progressed as the team might have expected after winning the European Trophy four years ago in Rome.

In 1999 the Irish team played in Europe for 11th-12th place. Four years later it played off for places nine to 10 and in 2005, after the competition was split into an A and B division, they won the lower division trophy.

This year in Manchester, Ireland did not achieve one of their main aims, that of staying in Division A, despite starting the tournament very strongly. They are now back in Division B , or, outside Europe's top eight.

After each major event there is always a revision process, which takes in management and players. The players fill in questionnaires anonymously and an overall assessment is compiled of just how the team performed.

This conclusion of this assessment process is not made public, so it is impossible to know what feedback the Irish Hockey Association got from their front-line players. There are now some grumblings about time and commitment as some Irish players, now in their late 20s, have only recently settled down to steady jobs. The combination of factors points to a tricky year ahead and as Ireland head towards a restructuring of the leagues here as well as a European League, the game will be tested. But unless the team can significantly improve on performance consistency the New Zealand test could bring further disappointment.

FIXTURES: Men's Irish Senior Cup: First round: North Down v Newry. 2.30 Comber; Weston v Suttonians, 2.45 Griffeen Valley Park.

Leinster senior League: Division one: Pembroke v UCD, 12.00 pm, Serpentine Avenue; YMCA v Corinthians 1.45pm, Claremont Road; Kilkenny v TRR , 1.30pm Kilkenny College; Fingal v Bray 1.00pm ALSAA; Monkstown v Glenanne 1.30pm Rathdown. Division two: PSBPP v Railway Union 1.00 pm; RCSI; Naas v Skerries 1:30pm Caragh Road, Naas.