In a four match clash against Australia, Ireland’s women’s head coach Gene Muller has announced he will be using twenty seven Irish players. This will give a number of players a golden opportunity to impress Coach Gene Muller as the preparations for the Olympic Qualifying tournament next April begins. 

Commenting on the upcoming games which take place from 24–28 October in UCD, Coach Muller said “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to play against a team of the quality of the Australians. This is the first step in our preparation towards the Olympic qualifiers and therefore we will be using an extended squad list with the aim of giving more players the opportunity to perform and get into the national squad.”

The Australians who are playing Ireland as part of a larger tour, also sees them play South Africa and GB as part of their preparations for the Beijing Olympics, for which they have already qualified. Australia are billing the touring team as Australia A but the squad list reads more like a full strength Australian team.

Irish Squad – 27 Players:

Emma Clarke, Eimear Cregan, Aine Connery, Shauna Frey, Roisin Flinn, Lisa Jacob, Mary Goode, Emer Harte, Louisa Healy, Shirley McCay, Jenny McDonough, Cathy McKean, Bridget McKeever, Holly Moffet, Rachel Mulligan, Ciara O’Brien, Ali O’Connor, Julia O’Halloran, Clare Parkhill, Cliodhna Sargent, Niamh Small, Alex Speers, Amy Stewart, Emma Stewart, Nikki Symmons, Christine Quinlan, Stephaine Quinn.

Source: Irish Hockey Association