Local players selected for EuroHockey Championships

GLENANNE’S Shane O’Donoghue has been named in the Ireland team for the upcoming Men’s EuroHockey Championships II taking place in Gniezno, Poland from August 15 to 21.

Both Three Rock Rovers and Corinthians will also boast representation at the tournament.

Daragh Walsh and Ben Walker will fly the flag for the Grange Road club while Ian Stewart will become the first current Corinthians player to line out for Ireland since Brian Doherty a decade ago and the seventh in total from the Whitechurch club.

With some 190 senior international appearances to his name, Knocklyon man O’Donoghue will be the most experienced player in the Ireland pack heading to Poland for what will be the side’s first capped matches since they missed out on the Tokyo Olympic Games in November 2019 in Vancouver.

The eight-team competition is an important one with a top-five finish out of eight offering a ticket to October’s World Cup qualifiers in Wales.

A run to the title, meanwhile, would bring vital ranking points as the road to Paris 2024 comes into view and the Irish men look to make it back to the Olympic stage following their stint in Rio back in 2016.

Speaking about his squad selection, Ireland coach Mark Tumilty said: “I feel the squad selected has a good balance of experience and youth.

“The squad, over recent camps against Scotland and GB, is starting to implement our playing style and it has been very pleasing that we have scored a significant number of goals. We will look to build on this as we go through the tournament.

“I look forward to the EuroHockey Championship II. We understand the importance of this tournament in securing a World Cup qualifying place.

“This tournament is the first step on the pathway to getting the Senior Men back competing in the major competitions on a consistent basis,” he said.

Ireland will ignite their campaign with a Pool A match against the hosts Poland, ranked 26th in the world, on Sunday, August 15 before they meet Italy two days later and then Croatia on August 18 ahead of the classification matches.

A top-two finish will earn a World Cup qualifier ticket and a place in the semi-finals. And should they miss out on those spots, Ireland will still have a chance to contest for the fifth ticket on offer in the classification matches.