While the players looked bored and their manager bemused, it was the FAI's officials who gave the clearest impression of being alarmed by the blizzard that hit Dublin yesterday morning.
As if the protracted planning process for Eircom Park hadn't done enough damage to their finances, the prospect of the association losing a further £250,000 through the cancellation of this evening's friendly against Denmark at Lansdowne Road clearly fitted into what they would categorise as the kicking of a sports organisation while down.
A decision on whether the game can proceed will be taken "as early as possible", said the association's commercial manager at the routine lunchtime press conference in order to facilitate supporters intending to travel from around the country.
Throughout yesterday, however, the consensus was if there were freezing conditions overnight then the association would lose a game to the weather for the first time since Denmark's World Cup qualifier at Dalymount in December 1968 had to be abandoned after 51 minutes due to fog.
Mick McCarthy, understandably enough, was attempting to work on the basis that there might actually be a match, and he therefore announced a team that included Richard Dunne and Gary Breen in central defence, the return of Kenny Cunningham at right back, Shay Given in goal and David Connolly in attack.
It could be that anything up to nine of the side he hopes to field this evening will end up starting against Cyprus next month, so the match would not be without its uses for the Ireland boss.
He conceded, however, that both Roy Keane (knee) and Mattie Holland (calf) are carrying knocks and are doubtful, while it is hard to imagine Cunningham not regaining one of the centre halves' spots or a fit Niall Quill failing to go straight back into the side in Nicosia in a few weeks. With Keane clearly unconvinced that he would play - the Manchester United midfielder pointed out that his club has a big game against Leeds on Saturday, that "friendlies wouldn't really matter too much to me at this stage", and that experience has taught him not to take even the slightest chance with a knee problem in these sort of circumstances - the bulk of his chat with the media was taken up with talk of his club's hopes for the rest of the season.
While denying that the championship is in the bag yet, the Corkman admitted that last year's defeat by Real Madrid in the Champions League had probably meant that the end of the season "ended up being an anti-climax despite the fact that we won the league".
"Probably after winning it the year before, a few of the lads eased up a little bit in the games and that's all you need to do when you're playing against really good sides for the results to start going against you. I think that everybody is determined to do better this year, though, because we need to reach another final, and hopefully to win it, in order to prove that we are a really good side."
Recent performances scarcely pointed to further European glory but, he added, "we're in a strong position in the Champions League, and I think that Sunday's game against Arsenal showed that, like any good team, we could bounce back after a few games in which we hadn't played particularly well as a team."
Cunningham, meanwhile, was clearly happy to be back involved with the squad after having missed the first four internationals of the season after an operation.
Informed that he had been named in McCarthy's team at right back, the 29-year-old said he was just delighted to be back in anywhere at all, and he understood that the competition which had developed for the central defensive positions during his absence was always going to make things a little bit more difficult for him.
"Mick and myself always seemed to have a bit of stick aimed at us because I was playing what was seen as such a pivotal role in the Ireland side while I was playing right back at Wimbledon. I could understand that really, and I'm delighted that players like Richard Dunne, Gary Doherty have John O'Shea - who looks to be one for the future - have come along."
Out in Citywest, the Danes could also do little more than sit and wait for a decision on whether the match will go ahead.
Morten Olsen, who took over as coach in the wake of the national team's disappointing performances at Euro 2000, where they lost all three group games without even scoring a goal, has a full squad available.
IRELAND: (possible): Given (Newcastle United); Cunningham (Wimbledon), Breen (Coventry City), Dunne (Manchester City), Harte (Leeds United); Finnan (Fulham), Keane (Manchester United), Holland (Ipswich Town), Kilbane (Sunderland); Keane (Leeds United), Connolly (Feyenoord).
DENMARK: Sorensen (Sunderland); Helvec (Milan), Henriksen (Panathanaikos), Laursen (Hellas-Verona), Heintze (PSV Eindhoven); Gravesen (Everton), Jensen (Charlton Athletic), Nielsen (AB); Rommedahl (PSV Eindhoven), Sand (Schalke 04), Gronkjaer (Chelsea).
