Julia O’Halloran has withdrawn from the Irish setup panel in the one major departure from Gene Muller’s selection following the announcement of the latest centralised programme.
The 24 year-old attacking midfielder, an ever-present in the European championships and Champion’s Challenge, withdrew from the programme in the past few weeks, just prior to the panel resuming full training mode.
Julia O'Halloran, in action against Spain in August, has withdrawn from the Irish training setup in the wake of the European championships Pic: Adrian BoehmWith Jean McDonnell also omitted from the selection, it has opened the door for teenagers Deirdre Duke and Gillian Pinder to possibly stake a claim for forward places due to the reduction in options up front in the latest 23-player selection. They, along with Leah Ewart, have been added to the panel on a probation basis.
On the credit side, Louisa Healy is the one returnee providing extra competition for the goalkeeping spots.Along with Mary Goode, the Loreto stopper stepped away from the panel in 2010, taking the time out to progress her career in the gardai. But she returns in good time to battle it out for a place in the Olympic qualifiers with Emma Gray and Pamela Smithwick.
It is the beginning of preparations for a qualifying tournament in the spring which looks likely to be played in Japan in April though the IHA are still hopeful of bringing the competition to Dublin.
Ireland’s next opportunity to test themselves in a competitive setting is in Argentina this December where they will compete in two four nations tournaments.
Speaking about the squad, High Performance Director Dave Passmore spoke about the challenges ahead for the latest selection, confirming players would increasingly be available to train with their clubs.
“After a well earned rest it is good to see the girls back into their full training program which now includes a club session each week. The real developmental impact of the CPP program should be realised through the next period of the program and with the Argentina trip in December being a timely opportunity to view the development made as the girls move into the final push towards the Olympic qualifier”
Ireland panel: Niamh Atcheler (UCD), Hannah Bowe (Slough), Emma Clarke (Leicester), Aine Connery (Hermes), Lizzie Colvin (Loreto), Miriam Crowley(Hermes), Nicci Daly (Loreto), Nicola Evans (Railway Union), Emma Gray (Hermes), Louisa Healy (Loreto), Michelle Harvey (Pegasus), Lisa Jacob (Hermes), Sinead McCarthy (Hermes), Shirley McCay (Old Alex), Anna O’ Flanagan (UCD), Audrey O’Flynn (Hermes), Cliodhna Sargent (Cork Harlequins), Niamh Small (Loreto), Emma Smyth (Railway Union), Alex Speers (Railway Union), Nikki Symmons (Loreto), Pam Smithwick (Old Alex), Chloe Watkins (UCD)
Probation players: Deirdre Duke (UCD), Leah Ewart (UCD), Gillian Pinder (Hermes)
Post Author:
alangood
One Reply to “O’Halloran withdraws from CPP”
Fair play to Julia O’Halloran. She is clearly the only player seeing sense on the CPP programme. Training as hard as they possibly could for the last 12-18 months and disimproving as a team on all fronts shows that she has made the right decision. Gene Muller has had plenty of time, money and resources to turn this team around and has miserably failed to do so. A player of Julia’s quality, experience and commitment is a huge loss to the Irish team. She has been involved tirelessly for at least 4 years, and it must have been a very hard decision for her to make. It’s obvious from the results and performance of the girls in the last 12 months that the CPP programme is not benefitting anybody, maybe it would if a different coaching team were in place.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Fair play to Julia O’Halloran. She is clearly the only player seeing sense on the CPP programme. Training as hard as they possibly could for the last 12-18 months and disimproving as a team on all fronts shows that she has made the right decision. Gene Muller has had plenty of time, money and resources to turn this team around and has miserably failed to do so. A player of Julia’s quality, experience and commitment is a huge loss to the Irish team. She has been involved tirelessly for at least 4 years, and it must have been a very hard decision for her to make. It’s obvious from the results and performance of the girls in the last 12 months that the CPP programme is not benefitting anybody, maybe it would if a different coaching team were in place.