HOCKEY Muller announces squad for Olympic qualifier
Coach Gene Muller today announced his eighteen selected to compete for Ireland in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. The announcement comes just days after Ireland played Great Britain in a series of matches which gave the coach one last chance to evaluate players in a competitive environment before he made his final decision.
The Olympic Qualifier takes place in Victoria, Canada from the 26th April – 4th May and present Ireland with a final chance to secure a berth at the Beijing Olympics next August. Competing in such a qualifier is no easy feat, and Ireland who are currently ranked 14th in the world will have to play against Korea (9th), Italy (19th), Canada (23rd) Uruguay (24th) and Malaysia (25th) and finish in the top two to secure a place in the Finals on May 4th for a play off where the winner takes all and earns themselves the coveted spot at Beijing.
The last few months has seen the Irish squad training with the intensity and at a level which you would expect from full time professional athletes. Recent months have seen them competing and training in South Africa, New Zealand and Spain, and last weekend in Dublin against Great Britain.
Commenting on the preparation phase, Muller appeared happy with how things have gone to date “I have been very happy with our preparation in the build up to this tournament. We have played quality teams like South Africa, Spain, New Zealand, China, and Great Britain in the last 3 months, and produced some quality performances.”
“The players have been fantastic in the way that they have approached our preparation, and I feel that we have made good strides. My hope is that the team plays well and does justice to how they have applied themselves.” He continued.
The team will compete in one more final series of matches this weekend as part of their preparations when they play hosts to France in UCD, Dublin. This will afford Muller the opportunity to continue with his fine tuning before they board the plane to Canada.
Ireland Squad For Olympic Qualification Tournament being held in Victoria, Canada 26 April – 4 May 2008.
Name Club Age Caps
Emma Clarke Randalstown 22 45
Eimear Cregan (Capt) Cork Harlequins 26 131
Mary Goode (GK) Pembroke Wanderers 28 42
Louisa Healy (GK) Loreto 26 27
Lisa Jacob UCD 20 23
Jenny McDonough Belfast Harlequins 26 102
Shirley McCay Randalstown 19 40
Cathy McKean Loreto 29 96
Bridget McKeever Ballymoney 25 105
Hollie Moffett UCC 22 8
Louisa Moore Pembroke Wanderers 23 11
Ciara O’Brien (V Capt) Chelmsford 28 144
Julia O’Halloran UCC 19 31
Clare Parkhill Randalstown 27 62
Cliodhna Sargent Cork Harlequins 20 23
Alex Speers Pegasus 22 35
Emma Stewart Armagh 20 48
Nikki Symmons Loreto 25 93
OQT Match Schedule
Canada / Ireland Time (+8)
Saturday 26th April Ireland v Malaysia 16.30 / 00.30 (Sun 26th)
Sunday 27th April Ireland v Canada 14.30 / 22.30 (Sun 27th)
Tuesday 29th April Ireland v Uruguay 12.30 / 20.30 (Tues 29th)
Thursday 1st May Ireland v Korean 12.30 / 20.30 (Thurs 1st)
Saturday 3rd May Ireland v Italy 16.30 / 00.30 (Sat 3rd)
Sunday 4th May Classification Matches
Warm - up Matches V France
UCD, Dublin
Friday 4th April Ireland V France 7.30pm
Sunday 7th April Ireland V France 11.00am