Thursday, February 6: Ireland Men’s Head Coach Mark Tumilty has today announced his 22-player squad to travel to India in February for the second stage of Ireland’s 2024/25 FIH Pro League Campaign.
There are several changes to the side that travelled to Santiago Del Estero, Argentina for Ireland’s first Pro League stage. Jaime Carr is named among the goalkeepers returning after a successful campaign in the Hockey India League with Shrachi Rahr Bengal Tigers, and Three Rock Rovers’ Kevin O’Dea and Ben Johnson also make the travelling squad. The return of Jeremy Duncan will add an experienced head to Ireland’s attacking options, with the Monkstown forward donning the green jersey for the first time since the Paris 2024 Olympic games. Matthew Nelson also returns and will look to link up with brother Ben Nelson during Ireland’s attacking phases.
The squad also features two uncapped players in Ben Ryder and Greg Williams. Ben Ryder joins the squad having impressed for both club and country, performing well for Three Rock Rovers in domestic competitions as well as for Ireland at underage level. Greg Williams is enjoying a standout year with his club Corinthian, being among the EY Hockey League’s top scorers to date and offers a goal threat from both open play and set pieces.
The team will travel to Bhubaneswar, India, returning to where they played their first ever FIH Pro League matches 12 months ago. India will be Ireland’s first opponent, facing them on consecutive days on February 21 and 22, before they face Germany twice on February 24 & 25.
Speaking at the announcement, head coach Mark Tumilty said:
“I thoroughly enjoyed the Indian experience last year, the quality of the pitch, the quality of the accommodation, the quality of the stadium and the atmosphere. I am looking forward to experiencing that again. Last year we were in more of a development phase and adjusting to the level of the opposition. We need to move on from the development phase we were in during the previous season. Ideally, we need to retain more possession of the ball this time around and create more goal scoring chances than we managed to do in our first season. We need to challenge ourselves.”
Discussing the two new players named in the squad, Tumilty said:
“I think it’s been a mixture of how they performed at club level and how they have been performing in training with the senior group. Ben Ryder has been on the radar for 12-18 months and has done very well at the regional sessions. His biggest asset is his work ethic. He’s definitely performed well at regional level and deserves his opportunity. Greg is probably a bit of a left field inclusion, but he has many strings to his bow. Greg has a corner that can be utilised at international level, and he has been quite prolific at club level during the 2024-25 season. We will give him plenty of opportunities to do so during the tournament.”
Ireland Squad
Jaime Carr
Luke Roleston
Kyle Marshall (C)
Peter McKibbin
Adam Walker
Nick Page
Fergus Gibson
Ben Ryder
Luke Witherow
Peter Brown
Jonny Lynch
Ben Pasley
Kevin O’Dea
Daragh Walsh
Matthew Nelson
Greg Williams
Jeremy Duncan
Ben Johnson
Louis Rowe
Ben Walker
Ben Nelson
Conor Empey
Fixtures
Friday, February 21 – IRELAND vs INDIA – 14:00 Irish Time
Saturday, February 22 – IRELAND vs INDIA – 14:00 Irish Time
Monday, February 24 – IRELAND vs GERMANY – 09:30 Irish Time
Tuesday, February 25 – IRELAND vs GERMANY – 09:30 Irish Time