Bray goalkeeper Mary Goode returns to a familiar-looking senior set-up after a few months on sabbatical, while UCC playmaker Julia O’Halloran, who is on a year-long break from top-level international hockey due to academic commitments, is included in the A squad.

UCD’s Roisin Flinn is also in that squad after returning from travelling, while there are a number of new faces, including Mel Ryan of Cork C of I, UCC’s Audrey O’Flynn and Hermes starlets Nicola Evans and Niamh Atcheler.

Muller said he was looking forward to comparing players competing for positions, and will finalise the make-up of both squads following the five-game test against the Canucks, who Ireland beat 2-0 and 2-1 in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Victoria in May.

Ireland A squads to play Canada at Belfield

Monday January 12 (2pm): N Atcheler, E Gray (GK), A O’Flanagan, N Evans, C Watkins (Hermes), A O’Flynn, J O’Halloran (UCC), L Colvin, Z Delany, N Small (Loreto), R Flinn (UCD), M Frazer (Ballymoney), M Harvey (Pegasus), C Sargent (Cork Harlequins) M Ryan (Cork C of I), H Stevenson (GK, Railway Union).

Tuesday January 13 (2pm): N Atcheler, E Gray (GK), A O’Flanagan, N Evans, C Watkins (Hermes), A O’Flynn, J O’Halloran (UCC), L Colvin, Z Delany (Loreto), L McInerney (UCD), R Mulligan (Armagh), M Ryan (Cork C of I), C Sargent (Cork Harlequins), L Barr (Ballymoney), K Elkin (Randalstown), H Stevenson (GK, Railway Union)

Ireland senior squads to play Canada at Belfield Friday January 16 (2pm): E Clarke, S McCay (Ulster Elks), L Colvin, L Healy (GK), C McKean, N Symmons, N Small (Loreto), K Elkin (Randalstown), R Flinn, L Jacob (UCD), M Goode (GK, Bray), M Harvey (Pegasus), J McDonough (Belfast Harlequins), H Moffett (UCC), C Sargent (Cork Harlequins)

Saturday January 17 (2.30pm): E Clarke, S McCay (Ulster Elks), L Colvin, L Healy (GK), C McKean, N Symmons (Loreto), L Barr, M Frazer, B McKeever (Ballymoney), M Harvey, A Speers (Pegasus), J McDonough (Belfast Harlequins), M Goode (GK, Bray), L Jacob (UCD), R Mulligan (Armagh), C O’Brien (Chelsmford).

Sunday January 18 (2pm): E Clarke, S McCay (Ulster Elks), N Small, L Healy (GK), C McKean, N Symmons (Loreto), M Goode (GK, Bray), M Harvey, A Speers (Pegasus), R Flinn, L Jacob (UCD), C O’Brien (Chelmsford), J McDonough (Belfast Harlequins), B McKeever (Ballymoney), H Moffett (UCC). Unavailable for selection: E Stewart, S Quinn (Armagh), E Cregan (Cork Harlequins)

While the South African doesn’t officially take up his new post until January, he will arrive in Ireland for a ten-day reconnaissance mission that includes taking in the games at Havelock Park in Banbridge.

Revington, who was appointed last week and is a former head coach of the Springboks, said the trip would be a “vital” part of familiarising himself with Irish hockey.

C of I's Jonny Bruton gets a chance to impress new Ireland coach Paul Revington against Scotland in Banbridge later this month. Picture: Adrian Boehm

“Outside of watching a few league games, meeting key role players involved within the high performance end of hockey, watching the squad play games against Scotland and experiencing both Dublin and Belfast as hockey centres, I will, most importantly, get to meet the players personally for the first time,” he said.

High performance director Dave Passmore has selected three squads for the games — two of which are Tests, the other non-capped — to give Revington the chance to view fringe players as well as established regulars.

Cork Church of Ireland goalkeeper Mark Ruddle returns to the fold after spending most of 2008 on the sidelines with knee tendonitis problems, while club-mates Adam Pritchard and Jonny Bruton also get a chance to impress.

A number of Ireland’s stars-in-waiting, including Three Rock’s Peter Blakeney, Mossley’s Simon Todd, Cookstown’s David Ames and Peter Caruth of Annadale, are also included.

Passmore said the matches come at the “perfect time” following Revington’s appointment: “He will be able to view just about all the most talented Irish players over the course of the matches, and observe them carefully on and off the pitch”.

The Irish women will also take on the Scots in three games, with coach Gene Muller — a compatriot of Revington — announcing a 19-strong squad.

However, he is without a number of influential figures due to injury and international sabbaticals, including the experienced triumvirate of skipper Eimear Cregan, Bray shot-stopper Mary Logue and Ciara O’Brien, as well as South African native Louisa Moore and UCC’s Julia O’Halloran.

As a result, a number of players who made their international bows during the Celtic Cup in July — including Hermes netminder Emma Gray, Loreto’s Lizzie Colvin, Ballymoney forward Megan Frazer and Michelle Harvey of Pegasus — are included again.

However, there is no place for UCC’s Aine Connery or club-mate Audrey O’Flynn, who impressed Muller at an open trial in October and was called into the squad for a recent ‘super camp’ but will have to wait a little longer to earn her first cap.

Muller said the matches would help him settle on a squad heading into what is set to be a transitional season following their failure to reach the Beijing Olympics earlier this year.

“These matches against Scotland are ideal for us at the start of a new international season,” he said. “Our matches against them are always very competitive, so this will be a very good test for the individual players and the team.”

Ireland squads for three-game series with Scotland at Havelock Park, Banbridge, Nov  21-23

Men
Match 1 (Test), Friday November 21, 8pm: D Harte (GK, Pembroke Wanderers); J Jackson (Loughborough); J Brennan (Glenanne); T Lewis(Pembroke Wanderers); R Gormley (Pembroke Wanderers, capt); K Burns (Cork C of I); D Hobbs (Cork C of I); G Shaw (Glenanne); J Jermyn (Cork C of I); M Black (Cork Harlequins); D Ames (Cookstown); P Maguire (Three Rock Rovers); E Magee (Banbridge); M Darling (Three Rock Rovers); T Cockram (Lisnagarvey); M Watt (Grange HC).

Match 2 (Test), Saturday November 22, 5pm: I Walker (GK, YMCA); J Jackson (Loughborough); C Harte (Pembroke Wanderers); T Lewis (Pembroke Wanderers); R Gormley (Pembroke Wanderers, capt); K Black (Cookstown); G McCabe (Banbridge); D Hobbs (Cork C of I); G Shaw (Glenanne); J Jermyn (Cork C of I); M Black (Cork Harlequins); P Maguire (Three Rock Rovers); E Magee (Banbridge); M Darling (Three Rock Rovers); T Cockram (Lisnagarvey); A Sothern (Pembroke Wanderers).

Match 3 (Non-Test), Sunday November 23, 2.30pm: M Ruddle (GK, Cork C of I); G Lennox (GK, Banbridge); A Pritchard (Cork C of I); J Brennan (Glenanne); C Harte (Pembroke Wanderers); K Burns (Cork C of I); K Black (Cookstown); S Todd (Mossley); D Ames (Cookstown); S Butler (Glenanne); J Lynch (Lisnagarvey); J Quigley (Annadale); G McCabe (Banbridge); M Watt (Grange HC); J Bruton (Cork C of I); P Caruth (Annadale); A Sothern (Pembroke Wanderers); P Blakeley (Three Rock Rovers).

Not considered due to injury: M Gleghorne (Instonians); A McConnell (Three Rock Rovers)

Women

Ireland women’s squad for Scotland series: L Barr (Ballymoney); E Clarke (Ulster Elks); L Colvin (Loreto); K Elkin (Randalstown); M Frazer (Ballymoney); E Gray (GK, Hermes); M Harvey (Pegasus); L Healy (GK, Loreto); L Jacob (UCD); S McCay (Ulster Elks); J McDonough (Belfast Harlequins); C McKean (Loreto); B McKeever (Ballymoney), H Moffett (UCC); C Sargent (Cork Harlequins); N Small (Loreto); A Speers (Pegasus); E Stewart (Armagh); N Symmons (Loreto).

Not considered due to injury/sabbaticals: E Cregan (Cork Harlequins); R Flinn (UCD); M Goode (GK, Bray), L Moore (Pembroke Wanderers), R Mulligan (Armagh); C O‘Brien (Chelmsford); J O’Halloran (UCC); S Quinn (Armagh).

Ireland v Scotland schedule: Friday November 21, 6pm; Saturday November 22, (3pm); Sunday November 23, (12.30pm)

It is hoped the ‘super camp’ venture will be accommodated on a four-monthly basis into the national programme, with the Irish women’s squad the first to try it out from Friday to Sunday.

UCC's Audrey O'Flynn, right, has earned her first call-up to an Irish senior women's squad. Picture: Eoin Tyrrell

According to the Irish Hockey Association’s high performance director Dave Passmore, the camp will differ from the regular two-day Irish get-togethers, where the emphasis is on tactical and technical components.

Players will have access to nutritionists, sports psychologists and time management consultants during the camp, as Ireland begin a new cycle aimed at qualifying for the 2012 Olympics.

“The super camp is an excellent idea, ensuring the essential elements of broader development of an athlete are prioritised and given specific attention,” said Passmore.

“This idea was generated from the women’s evaluation process, and will also be developed within the men’s programme.”

Irish senior women’s coach Gene Muller also gave the idea a thumbs up, but stressed that there is plenty of room for the players to improve.

“This camp is the start of our international preparation for 2009,” he said. “We are currently working with a group that has good potential. They are talented and ambitious, but we need to address areas in which we can make imporvements.”

The squad selected to attend the camp contains a few notable returnees and one new face. Chelmsford’s Ciara O’Brien returns after missing the summer’s Setanta Sports Trophy and Celtic Cup competitions, while Ballymoney’s Lauren Barr and Stephanie Quinn and Rachel Mulligan of Armagh get their first call-ups in more than a year.

UCC’s Áine Connery gets another deserved chance after hitting five goals in as many games for Ireland A over the summer, while her club team-mate Audrey O’Flynn is included for the first time after impressing Muller in last week’s open Irish trial.

However, another UCC star, Julia O’Halloran, is a notable absentee from the squad, having reportedly decided to concentrate on final-year college commitments.

Irish senior women’s squad for three-day camp in Jordanstown: L Barr (Ballymoney), E Clarke (Ulster Elks), L Colvin (Loreto), A Connery (UCC), E Cregan (Cork Harlequins), M Frazer (Ballymoney), M Goode (Bray), E Gray (Hermes), M Harvey (Pegasus), L Healy (Loreto), L Jacob (UCD), S McCay (Ulster Elks), K McConnell (Pegasus), J McDonough (Belfast Harlequins), C McKean (Loreto), B McKeever (Ballymoney), H Moffett (UCC), R Mulligan (Armagh), C O’Brien (Chelmsford), A O’Flynn (UCC), S Quinn (Armagh), C Sargent (Cork Harlequins), N Small (Loreto), E Stewart (Armagh), A Speers (Pegasus), N Symmons (Loreto).

The 21-year-old UCC hotshot, who has been overlooked by Muller since last December, struck twice and set up another for Katherine Elkin, as the girls in green overturned a 3-1 deficit at the Welsh Institute of Sport.

Connery, who has now hit five goals in five games for Ireland A, is among a number of players who put their hand up for selection in front of the watching Muller, who opted to rest his senior side for this trip.

Aine Connery, seen here in action for UCC, staked a claim for inclusion in the Irish senior side with a two-goal salvo against Wales. Picture: Eoin Tyrrell

Among them is Michelle Harvey, who co-captained Ireland A with Connery to second in the Junior Celtic Cup in June and won her first cap in the senior event against France.

The Victorians starlet marked her debut with a drag-flicked goal that day, and she repeated the trick with four minutes remaining in Cardiff yesterday to hand Ireland’s second string a famous win, which understandably pleased Muller.

“It was a thrilling match, and we did well to win from 3-1 down,” he said. “We scored some very well-worked goals from open play, and the team were very excited by their performance.”

Having gone down 2-1 to their hosts on Saturday, Ireland were in bullish mood from the off, with Connery intercepting a Welsh pass to find Elkin, who cracked the ball home first time for a sixth-minute lead.

However, Wales were ahead inside eight minutes via carbon copy strikes from Dawn Mitchell and Beth Fisher, and Carys Hopkins punished a defensive lapse to put them 3-1 up just after the break.

However, Ireland A bizarrely turned the game on its head with three goals in four minutes. Connery struck twice in as many minutes, one a superb lob from a one-on-one, before Megan Frazer tapped in for a shock lead.

Sophie Robinson hauled the hosts level on 60 minutes, but Harvey stepped up to break Welsh hearts in the dying minutes.

Wales gained a modicum of revenge in the men’s game, with late short corner strikes from Huw Jones and Oliver Cooper salvaging a 2-2 draw.

However, Mitch Darling’s transformation into an international-standard striker of repute continued apace, as he claimed a double to take his tally to five in his last four outings a green shirt.

Mitch Darling: Has hit five goals in his last four games for Ireland. Picture: Adrian Boehm

The Three Rock Rovers hitman slipped two defenders before firing a reverse to the roof of the net to give Ireland the lead in the 20th minute.

He doubled their advantage by deflecting home a short corner in the 57th minute, but Ireland lost skipper Graham Shaw and teen sensation David Ames to the sin-bin, and Wales duly capitalised to draw level.

Despite failing to record a win over the Welsh, who won 3-2 on Saturday, Irish manager Peter Jackon professed himself pleased with the progression of an experimental side.

“Overall, this was a positive weekend for this young squad. They proved themselves today when the odds where against them, and were unfortunate not to come away with a more positive result,” he said.

The former Cork Church of Ireland hotshot, who now stars for Ulster giants Lisnagarvey, banged in two quickfire strikes just after the break, but his goals couldn’t stop Wales gaining a modicum of revenge for their 3-1 Celtic Cup defeat in July.

Huw Jones put the home side in front just before half-time with a disputed short corner goal, given only after Welsh appeals to the umpires.

Jason Lynch: Cork-born Lisnagarvey hotshot fired a double in Ireland's 3-2 defeat to Wales. Picture: Adrian Boehm

However, Ireland equalised three minutes after the resumption, when Lynch produced a tidy finish to Mikey Watt and Andy McConnell’s approach work. He added a skilful solo effort just two minutes later to give his side the lead, only for Oliver Cooper’s 49th and 60th minute strikes to seal a Welsh win in an end-to-end encounter.

Ireland manage Peter Jackson nonetheless professed himself happy with the early-season showing from a side containing a number of rookies.

“This was a good peformance by Ireland considering the youthfulness of the squad and the short amount of time they have trained together,” he said.

His thoughts were echoed by women’s senior coach Gene Muller, who saw much to be pleased with despite Guy Garrett’s Ireland A side going down 2-1 to the senior Welsh team.

“We played really well today and created quality chances,” said Muller of a gutsy performance. “I was surprised at some of our play – it was creative and flowing, and if we play like this again tomorrow we will have a chance of a result.”

Carys Hopkins put the Welsh in front after a sustained period of early pressure, finally breaking goalkeeper Vicki Green’s resistance on 20 minutes. Ireland pulled level after the break via Michelle Harvey’s low drag-flick, but Alys Brooks hit a late winner for the Welsh.

Nonetheless, Chloe Watkins and Katherine Elkin, who captained the side, were among a number of players to show up well in their first game against a full international outfit, and they have another chance to press for inclusion in the senior squad when they take on Wales again tomorrow (11am).