The eight-team competition will be played in a knock-out format with only one side earning a place at next summer’s World Cup which will be played at venues in Spain and the Netherlands.

Ireland, who are the highest-ranked side in the qualifiers, meet France in their first game on October 21^st (10.30 am, Irish time).

The winner going on to play either Russia or Belarus. Scotland, Poland, Italy and Wales are on the other side of the draw.

Dancer’s central panel features 15 of the squad that travelled to the Olympic Games in July with Niamh Carey, Erin Getty and Ellen Curran coming into the line-up.

“I am excited about the future and the balance within the squad,” coach Dancer said of his selection. “We have retained a lot of experience and have a lot of excitement coming through. It sits really nicely.”

For the players coming in, they have been aided by a comprehensive summer program with the Irish development squad, overseen by David Passmore which has been a fruitful avenue for those making the step up.

UCD’s Niamh Carey joins her twin sister Michelle in the panel and is on course to make her first capped international appearance in the quarter-final against France.

She has been part of the panel for most of the past year and lined out against Great Britain in a couple of challenge matches.

Queen’s University’s Erin Getty was one of the guiding lights of the summer developmental series to force her way back into senior international reckoning.

The Queen’s University player earned eight caps in 2017 and 18 before a number of injuries set back her progress.

Pembroke’s Ellen Curran is another to return to the line-up. With 24 caps to her name, she was involved with the Green Army setup in the early phases of 2020, touring South Africa, prior to the postponement of the Games to 2021.

“Niamh has been in and around the senior group previously and has built on her strength on the ball and is scoring goals. She is very dangerous as an attacking player and we hope she will continue that.

“Erin played for Ireland before but never previously with me due to a long term injury which put her out for a while but, to her credit, she has worked really hard to get back into a position to be in the green shirt again.

“For Ellen, she had issues around her calf and ankle which didn’t make things easy for her but, once again, she took that time to work on areas we wanted her to. Credit to her, she staked her claim for a spot now and looking forward to seeing her use her speed and skill to create some havoc.

Of the Tokyo panel, Shirley McCay, Hannah Matthews, Lizzie Colvin and Nicci Daly have since stepped back from the program as have Nikki Evans and Grace O’Flanagan.

Reflecting on that changing of the guard, coach Dancer said it is “a natural” progression for the side in the wake of the Olympic Games, paying tribute to their immense contributions to the cause.

“It’s amazing how much effort the players have put into not just the last three years but the last eight to ten years to qualify for their first-ever Olympics, giving it everything they’ve got,” Dancer said.

“It is natural some will step away and, for others, they needed a good break to refresh and get back to life, work, family and social things. I wanted to make sure everyone got a good break and once all the dust had settled, it’s certainly great to have a lot of experience in the group.

“Anna O’Flanagan, Chloe, Róisín, Ayeisha, Lena, Katie, Deirdre – we do have a huge amount there from the Olympics and beyond. We have to draw on that first of all and expect those guys to stand up under pressure which I certainly know they will.

“The flip side is the excitement. We have players who have never had a test match before; first-ever event and they get to try qualify for a World Cup.”

The tournament also allows for two travelling reserves with Charlotte Beggs and Jane Kilpatrick joining the panel in Pisa.

While first opponents France are the lowest-ranked side in the competition, Dancer is more than wary of what they have to offer. With the Paris Games in mind, they have been working together close to full-time for a number of years and a silver medal at this summer’s EuroHockey Championship II shows they are on the rise.

“France has been preparing well, not just this year, but with 2024 in their sights and getting there as host nation, they have a lot to play for. They did really well in the European Division 2 tournament. First team to meet, it will not be easy but we have to back our experience and what we have done in the last 18 months to get over the top of them.”

Ireland senior women’s panel for World Cup qualifiers (club/caps):
Ayeisha McFerran (SV Kampong, Netherlands, 110)
Lizzie Murphy (Loreto, 13)
Lena Tice (Old Alex, 119)
Róisín Upton (Catholic Institute, 86)
Hannah McLoughlin (UCD, 24)
Sarah McAuley (UCD, 6)
Sarah Hawkshaw (Railway Union, 43)
Michelle Carey (UCD, 7)
Katie Mullan (captain, Ballymoney, 203)
Ellen Curran (Pembroke, 24)
Sarah Torrans (Loreto, 31)
Chloe Watkins (Monkstown, 234)
Zara Malseed (Ards, 4)
Naomi Carroll (Catholic Institute, 119)
Niamh Carey (UCD, 0)
Deirdre Duke (Old Alex, 151)
Anna O’Flanagan (Muckross, 217)
Erin Getty (Queen’s, 8)

Travelling reserves
Charlotte Beggs (Ulster Elks, 0)
Jane Kilpatrick (Belfast Harlequins, 0)

Head coach: Sean Dancer
Assistant coaches: Gareth Grundie, David Fitzgerald
Manager: Lisa Jacob
Physical trainer: Claire Brady
Physio: Stephen Brownlow
Video Technician: Mark Kavanagh

FIH Women’s World Cup 2022 – European Qualifier; Pisa, Italy (October 21 to 24, 2021)
Thursday, October 21: Ireland v France (10.30am, Irish time)
Saturday, October 22: Semi-finals / classification matches
Sunday, October 23: final / classification matches

The post Dancer names new-look Ireland side for World Cup qualifiers appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The 29-year-old described her feelings when she was selected, using words such as elation, excitement, and relief to paint the picture.

She said that it was an unusual moment, an achievement she had chased for her whole career was finally her achievement.

“It was all a bit surreal – it was one of those moments that you’ve waited for your whole career…there was a lot of emotion in my house,” said Duke.

However, she sees it as a bittersweet situation when she thinks of those who missed out.

The Dusseldorf forward initially missed out on selection for the 2021 EuroHockey Championships last month but was called up after injuries affected the squad.

Duke noted that she can understand what those who missed out on Olympic selection are feeling because of this, stating that if it were not for the injuries within the squad, she may not be going to the Olympics.

“It’s been the toughest thing over the last number of weeks – it’s definitely a bittersweet situation…I’ve experienced both sides of the coin in recent weeks…sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t.”

I feel extremely privileged to be selected for the Tokyo Olympics

An honor to represent the entire Green Army, those who paved the way, close friends who just missed out & those coming behind us. In the Spirit of Jack Charlton-We’ll give it a lash in Tokyo!#Tokyo2020 #Olympics pic.twitter.com/waDQaomSsv

— Nicci Daly (@NicciDaly22) June 28, 2021

Ireland fell short of the semi-finals at the Euros with a draw against Spain being the killer blow in the pool stages.

A 5-1 loss to England where “the wheels fell off” after taking the lead denied the ladies a fifth-placed finish and a spot at next year’s FIH Hockey World Cup.

Nevertheless, Duke believes there are positives to take from the ultimately disappointing campaign.

“I think we can take a lot of confidence from the hockey we played at the Euros going forward.”

Lessons can be learned from the defeat also as England’s purple patch in the second quarter was what took the game out of Ireland’s hands.

Every team will have purple patches and Duke feels that Ireland needs to keep their focus and weather the storms.

Additionally, the former UCD captain believes anything is possible in tournament hockey, as proven by Ireland 2018 FIH Hockey World Cup campaign which saw them finish runners-up as the second-lowest-ranked side at the competition.

“We’ve taken a huge amount of confidence from that tournament…..anything can happen in a one-off game.”

Yet, Duke noted that their run to the final included numerous close games and that their two knockout wins were via penalties, adding that the squad are “under no illusion.”

A new coach, new backroom staff and new players have come into the national setup since then, but the core of the World Cup squad remains.

11 of the 16 players going to the Olympics have silver medals from the 2018 World Cup run and the squad are a tight-knit group as a result.

Irish ladies hockey team progress to the World Cup final after a 3-2 penalty shootout victory over Spain. #HWC2018 https://t.co/cb5NEjRIXg pic.twitter.com/toyBwJRMZD

— BBC News NI (@BBCNewsNI) August 4, 2018

The players kept themselves entertained throughout the World Cup in 2018 with all kinds of antics and there is great morale and a great spirit in the Olympic squad, according to Duke.

“We’re all buzzing to get there and get going.”

An extra year with Dancer and his staff before the Olympics has helped the team get to grips with what they ask of them and the side head to the games with a better understanding of what Dancer and co. want then they would have last year.

The preparation for the tournament has ramped up in recent weeks after a rest period following the team’s exit from the Euros.

To prepare for the conditions in Japan, Duke and the team have been doing a lot of work in heat chambers.

They were in a 45C sauna on Monday morning for 40 minutes and are doing what they can to acclimatise themselves to the Japanese humidity from their camp in Jordanstown, Belfast.

However, Duke thinks the conditions will still force the squad into a period of adjustment.

“There’s no comparison to playing at 12 o’clock in the day with 90% humidity.”

The team will head to Iwate on the northeast coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu where they will set up camp 10 days before the tournament kicks off on July 24^th.

Regardless of previous experiences, Duke admitted that the side does not know what to expect from the Olympics games.

“We’re the first women’s team to go so we really don’t know what to expect…we have no real expectations of what it should be like or what it is going to be like. We’re going to try and take it all in…at the end of the day, it’s just another hockey tournament so hopefully we won’t let the emotion, or the occasion get to us.”

The post Deirdre Duke Excited For Olympics Challenge appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.