Thursday, January 22 – Dublin: Ireland Women’s Hockey Team Head Coach Gareth Grundie has named his squad that will travel to Hobart, Australia for the team’s second FIH Hockey Pro League phase where they will face Argentina and Australia.
Ireland made their debut in the top-tier annual hockey competition, the FIH Hockey Pro League, in December on home soil where they faced Belgium and England in four sold out matches at the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin. During that inaugural stage, Ireland proved their ability to go toe-to-toe with top eight sides in the world, getting their first points in the competition against England as Ireland Goalkeeper Elizabeth Murphy starred, denying England from the spot and saving three penalty shootouts following the 1-1 draw to hand Ireland their first two points.
Ireland will travel to Hobart, Australia next for their second stage of the FIH Hockey Pro League. The team will face Argentina and Australia as they look to continue their upward trajectory in the competition.
Ireland Head Coach Gareth Grundie has selected a largely unchanged side to the one that lined out in Dublin. Elizabeth Murphy maintains her place in net, having made a quick recovery from the foot injury she sustained against England. She is joined by Holly Micklem, who also featured during Ireland’s home FIH Hockey Pro League stage.
Roisín Upton will once again lead Ireland’s defensive efforts, with Katie Larmour, Caoimhe Perdue, Ellen Curran, Sarah McAuley, Lisa Mulcahy and Caitlin Sherin all set to feature alongside her.
Marshalling the centre of midfield is captain Sarah Hawkshaw, with Charlotte Beggs, Christina Hamill and Michelle Carey all taking their typical places in that position group also. Jessica McMaster and Mia Jennings maintain their places having put in impressive performances in Dublin.
Upfront, Katie Mullan will feature once again as she adds to her exceptional tally of 250 senior appearances for her country. Sarah Torrans is also named and will look to carry her scoring form forward into this stage having found the net twice in Dublin. Mikayla Power also travels, with Niamh Carey returning to the squad having been restricted to the sideline in Dublin with a minor injury sustained during her club duties in Belgium.
Speaking after the announcement, head coach Gareth Grundie said:
“The group is really looking forward to travelling to Australia for this next FIH Hockey Pro League stage.
We are keen to continue testing ourselves against the world’s best sides, and this competition gives us that opportunity. I think we performed very well in our debut stage in Dublin with four close encounters with Belgium and England. We are challenging ourselves to replicate this in Hobart when we face Argentina and Australia.”
IRL Senior Women’s Squad
Charlotte Beggs
Niamh Carey
Michelle Carey
Ellen Curran
Christina Hamill
Sarah Hawkshaw (C)
Mia Jennings
Katie Larmour
Sarah McAuley
Hannah McLoughlin
Jessica McMaster
Holly Micklem
Lisa Mulcahy
Katie Mullan
Elizabeth Murphy
Caoimhe Perdue
Mikayla Power
Caitlin Sherin
Sarah Torrans
Roisin Upton
FIH Hockey Pro League Dublin – Fixtures
Feb 10 – 08:30 Irish Time – IRELAND vs Argentina
Feb 12 – 08:30 Irish Time – Australia vs IRELAND
Feb 13 – 08:30 Irish Time – Argentina vs IRELAND
Feb 15 – 06:30 Irish Time – Australia vs IRELAND