Women's Hockey:Having lost his two most experienced players, Linda Caulfield and Jill Orbinson, to retirement in the last week, Ireland coach Gene Muller has had to find new blood for his squad ahead of the four unofficial internationals against Australia in Dublin later this month.
Five uncapped players have been named in a 27-strong panel for the games, UCD's Holly Moffet and Christine Quinlan, UCC's Ali O'Connor, Armagh's Stephaine Quinn and Loreto's Niamh Small, a former youth international in football.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for us to play against a team of the quality of the Australians," said Muller. "This is the first step in our preparation towards the Olympic qualifiers (next April) and therefore we will be using an extended squad with the aim of giving more players the opportunity to perform and get into the national squad."
Most of those players will be back in club action this weekend, after their post-European Championships' break, but, up to December 20th, can train no more than once a week with their clubs and will only be available for league games. Thereafter squad members will be pulled from all club training to prepare for the Olympic qualifier and will only be permitted to play in Irish Senior Cup games until their return from the qualifier.
Loreto, one of three clubs to have four representatives in the panel (along with Armagh and UCD), will, then, be keen to make good use of them while they are available, starting tomorrow against Hermes in Booterstown. The champions have been boosted by the return of Nikki Symmons from Germany, Sarah Cooney from Scotland and Nikki Keegan, who was unavailable for the second half of last season.
In Munster, Eimear Cregan, now the second most-capped international playing (she has 116 caps to Ciara O'Brien's 129), will captain Cork Harlequins for the first time when they play Ashton. The Munster champions have lost Julia O'Halloran to UCC but have been joined by Karen Barry from Church of Ireland.
IRELAND SQUAD: E Stewart, R Mulligan, A Stewart, S Quinn (all Armagh), B McKeever (Ballymoney), J McDonough (Belfast Harlequins), C O'Brien (Chelmsford), E Cregan, C Sargent (both Cork Harlequins), C McKean, N Symmons, L Healy, N Small (all Loreto), S Frey (Old Alexandra), A Speers (Pegasus), M Goode, E Harte (both Pembroke Wanderers), C Parkhill, E Clarke, S McCay (all Randalstown), J O'Halloran, A Connery, A O'Connor (all UCC), R Flinn, L Jacob, H Moffet, C Quinlan (all UCD).
LEINSTER LEAGUE - Tomorrow - Division One: Genesis v Trinity, Belfield, 2.30; Three Rock v Railway Union, Grange Road, 2.30; Hermes v Loreto, Booterstown, 2.45; Corinthian v Old Alexandra, Whitechurch, 3.45; UCD v Pembroke Wanderers, Belfield, 4.10.
Division Two: Railway Union II v Suttonians, Sandymount, 3.30; Hermes II v Pembroke II, Booterstown, 4.15; Loreto II v Old Alexandra II, Beaufort, 5.0; Corinthian II v Clontarf, Whitechurch, 5.15.
MUNSTER LEAGUE - Tomorrow - Division One: Bandon v Church of Ireland, Bandon, 1.0; Ashton v Cork Harlequins, Ashton School, 1.30; Belvedere v Catholic Institute, Ballincollig, 1.0; UCC v Univ of Limerick, Mardyke, 12.30.
