Ireland need to improve their conversion rate as the favourites in EuroHockey Championship qualifier event
Ireland's Sarah Hawkshaw. Photo: Jeroen Meuwsen/Sportsfile
Sarah Hawkshaw says finding a way to break down packed defences will be a crucial factor this week as Ireland’s women host the EuroHockey Championship qualifiers at the Sport Ireland Campus.
The 13th ranked side begin their campaign tonight against world number 27 side Poland in Blanchardstown (7.30pm) before facing the Czech Republic (ranked 23rd) on Saturday and Turkey (33rd) on Sunday.
Ireland have never lost to any of these sides in capped matches, so they are big favourites for first place and a ticket to 2023’s ‘A’ division in Monchengladbach.
Indeed, they have only conceded once in four victories against the Poles; against the Czechs, they have a nine-game winning streak, while their only meeting with Turkey was a 13-0 success in 2015.
To avoid any slips this week, Seán Dancer’s evolving team needs to work on its chance-conversion rate, particularly from set-pieces, as evidenced by their World Cup defeat to lower-ranked Chile and subsequent friendly games against France. Against Chile, the Green Army spurned 10 penalty corners.
“That one broke our hearts,” Hawkshaw said. “A lot of the sides ranked lower are defensively strong; they have experience of doing a lot of defending.
“We are not expecting to walk the ball into the goal and it is an area we have to improve. We have to get shots off, we have to get goals. And for this campaign to Paris, we have to win this tournament.”
Fulfil their favourites’ tag and they will not just play in the EuroHockey Championships ‘A’ Division in 2023 in Monchengladbach but also give their chances of earning an Olympic qualifier ticket a big boost. The return of Niamh Carey should be a big help – she scored twice in her three caps to date in Pisa last October before taking up a six-month college placement in the US.
