MEN'S HOCKEYTHE ANNOUNCEMENT that Ireland is to host the Olympic qualifying event in March is probably the best piece of news for the sport in some time. With the exception of David Judge, Terry Gregg, Billy McConnell, Jimmy Kirkwood and Sam Martin (the latter three all won medals) who represented Britain, no Irish player knows what it is like to be part of an Olympic tournament.
The home advantage gives us an edge and nothing more but, considering the margins involved, the Belfield venue is a bonus for an Irish team that has shown at European level it can bridge the gap and meet the top teams with a realistic chance of some return.
In that respect the professional era of hockey, which has been around for a long time but players have in recent years availed of it, has been kind to Ireland.
We are currently ranked 17th in the world, not the highest the team has ever been (1978 and 1990 World Cups would have seen the team in the top 12) but encouraging enough to believe this team can become the first since 1908 to play in the Olympics.
That year Ireland won silver although apparently the medals are credited to Britain, which was a no-brainer as Ireland played England in the final.
Otherwise Ireland have never in the modern years qualified for an Olympic tournament although the team, during the era of Paddy Browne and Stephen Butler, narrowly missed out on the 2008 Olympics after goal difference in a New Zealand qualifier kept them out of the final. This was despite Mark Gleghorne’s tally of nine earning him the competition’s top goal-scorer award.
Once more only the winner will go through and Ireland face doughty opposition between March 10th-18th. Korea are ranked sixth in the world, Malaysia 14th, Russia 20th, Chile 24th and Ukraine 21st so the hosts will have to beat two sides higher ranked than they are, as well as the three ranked below them.
They will play in a round-robin pool in which each team play against each other before the top two play off in a final for a place at the London Olympic Games.
FIXTURES– Saturday – Leinster Senior League: Division One – YMCA v Corinthians, Alexandra College 2.45pm; Three Rock Rovers v Pembroke Wanderers, Grange Road 1.00pm. Division Two – Mullingar v Suttonians, Tullamore 3.30pm; Dublin University v Avoca, Grange Road 2.30pm; Rathgar v Weston, High School, 2.00pm Monday – Neville Cup Semi-final – UCD v Glenanne, Belfield 8pm.
