Despite jumping six world ranking places – from 24th to 18th – in four years under Englishman Dave Passmore, Ireland have failed to qualify for either an Olympic or a World Cup.

Their most recent bitter pill came last February, when they narrowly missed out on reaching the final of their Olympic qualification tournament, defeating world number seven Argentina – who they play twice in Dublin next week – 1-0, but failing to get the required two-goal margin.

Passmore has since stepped down from the Irish men’s coaching hotseat, to concentrate fully on his role as the Irish Hockey Association’s (IHA) high performance director, but is still combining the jobs until his successor is appointed.

David Hobbs: Believes that once Ireland make it to a major tournament, they will not repeat the mistakes that have undermined their qualification campaigns in recent years. Picture: Adrian Boehm

The identity of the new coach is set to be revealed in the coming weeks. The IHA have already interviewed six candidates, a number of which are believed to be foreign-based, and the second round of interviews is set to take place in the next seven days.

Cork Church of Ireland midfielder Hobbs, a veteran of more than 100 caps, believes the new man must help them make the jump to major tournaments.

“We’ve made huge strides under Dave Passmore in my opinion,” he said. “It may not look like it to some people, but the players know there’s been a huge progression.

“We’re maybe one step shy of where we need to be to compete for medal positions and qualification (for major tournaments). The new coach doesn’t necessarily need to be someone who’s going to change our tactics, but we need someone who can drive us on a little bit further.

“I have my own ideas as to what that (entails), but anyone coming in will have their own. If he gets us pulling in the right direction, we can improve that little bit and finally make an Olympics and a World Cup.”

Hobbs added that Ireland’s failings on the world stage, particularly their tendency to defeat top-class opposition then lose to lower ranked teams, are a constant source of frustration within the squad.

“It’s frustrating that we’re slipping at the last barrier. We’re competing really well against the big teams, then when it comes to the match we need to win, that’s where we slip up,” he said.

“That’s probably more of a psychological thing than what we’re doing on the pitch, because 90% of what we’re doing is very good and it’s progressed massively.

“But once we get over that barrier and get to a major tournament,  I can’t forsee it happening again, and I think the coach who comes in needs to be able to drive us on to do that.”

The Irish squad are set to assemble this weekend for a ‘super camp’ that focuses on the psychological and nutritional side of player development, with Passmore set to name the panel for the Argentina clashes next Tuesday.

More than anything else, Irish hockey’s movers and shakers are striving to make the new competition, which pits the country’s top club sides against each other in a league format for the first time, an attractive product for the punter.

To this end, clubs are being encouraged to stage half-time skills competitions, underage matches and corporate lunches on match days.

The adoption of a new set of rules, largely borrowed from the EuroHockey League (EHL), are aimed specifically at speeding the game up, and ball boys and girls must be provided by each club to ensure not a moment is wasted.

Two of the more notable introductions are the splitting of the game into 17.5-minute quarters, which has predictably gone down well with coaches, and the “auto-pass” rule, which allows players to take free hits to themselves.

C of I's David Hobbs (left) believes his side have no reason to fear any team in the IHL. Picture: Adrian Boehm

In addition, green cards now carry a two-minute suspension, and umpires will be particularly on the lookout for deliberate breakdowns of play and backchat in this regard.

Teams are also being incentivised to play attacking hockey, with the introduction of a rugby-style bonus point system. This awards teams an extra point for winning by two goals or more, while teams losing by less than two will earn a bonus point in defeat.

Cork Church of Ireland’s David Hobbs, a veteran before his time at 26 years-old having amassed well over a century of Irish caps, can see some potential kinks to iron out with the new rules, but admits time will tell if they prove successful.

“I’m not sure yet if they will speed the game up, we’ve only used the new rules in two training games so far,” he says.

“Getting more breaks can be good from a coaching aspect, because if there’s a problem you can find a solution sooner, rather than having to wait until half-time. Either way, we’re still going to be trying to play a quick, attacking style of hockey.

“I can forsee the two-minute suspensions for green cards being a problem, with teams having a lot of people off the pitch, I’d imagine for us there’ll be times when we’ll have guys off the pitch for silly things as well. They may need to look at it again.”

C of I have the bonus of having John Jermyn, who spent last year playing under the EHL rules with Dutch club HGC, in their side, but the likelihood is that every club will be in the same boat this weekend.

One thing Hobbs is certain about is that Munster clubs C of I and Cork Harlequins stand to gain the most from the new league, given the relative weakness of the province’s domestic league.

“It suits ourselves and Quins, big time,” said Hobbs. “We’ve been looking for it for a long time. Youngsters coming through with us who would be playing against poor opposition down here will now be playing against good teams, so it will definitely progress things.

“It’s always nice to play big games in front of big crowds against decent teams, rather than your usual bog-standard domestic games. I hope it will attract the crowds, I can certainly forsee a big crowd for the first game, after that it’s about getting the marketing right and playing the right style of hockey to keep people interested.”

Both Munster clubs were ardent supporters of the IHL from the outset, reasoning that the lack of competition in their backyard was affecting their chances in national cup competitions. But Hobbs feels they have as good a chance as anyone in a league format.

Quins' Paul Lombard disputes a decision. Umpires and players may clash this weekend over the interpretation and application of a raft of new rules. Picture: Adrian Boehm

“Cup competitions are a one-off, but we can go into this league fully confident that we can compete with anyone, and not be afraid of anyone,” he says.

“On our day we’re capable of taking any of those teams; I might as well say it, I’m confident in what we can do once we start playing well.”

Irish women’s coach Gene Muller has also lent his support to the tournament, which he believes will see players set higher barometers for themselves.

“This newly constructed league is a great boost, and it should add a more competitive balanced edge for the top premier league players, as well as helping some players reaching higher targets all the way to senior international standard,” he said.

The good vibrations surrounding the new league have, however, been sullied somewhat by off-field sideshows that have arisen before a ball has been hit in anger.

Some club officials have raised concerns over prize money, with just €2,000 going to each of the men’s and women’s winners, and the lack of a title sponsor for the men’s event, though progression on the latter will see the kitty revised upwards for both men’s and women’s competitions.

Furthermore, some Leinster clubs feel their IHL qualification chances will be disproportionally hindered by the restrictions on the amount of domestic games their Irish internationals can play (14 for men, 10 for women), as they have up to six more league fixtures than their Munster and Ulster counterparts.

As with the new rules, compromise will almost certainly be needed on these issues down the line; in the meantime, picking a winner in either league is proving just as troublesome.

Craig Fulton’s star-studded Pembroke Wanderers outfit and national champions Three Rock Rovers will start as favourites on paper for the men’s title, but of the remaining ten sides, only Monkstown and Fingal are unlikely to have realistic ambitions of going all the way.

On the women’s side, Pegasus and Hermes have shared the last 11 national titles, but Railway Union are the country’s form side so far this term, and Loreto cannot be discounted when they have all five of their Irish internationals in situ.

But then, as the players are about to find out, half the fun of this tournament will rest on its unpredictability. Irish hockey can only hope the paying public feels the same way.