Ireland men’s hockey head coach Mark Tumilty has backed his side to lift their game and move past the “developmental phase” they were in during 2024 after naming his 22-man panel for the second stage of his side’s 2024/25 FIH Pro League campaign.
The squad, which features uncapped pair Ben Ryder and Greg Williams, will travel to India and face the hosts back-to-back on February 21 and 22 first up before a further two clashes against Germany on February 24 and 25.
A panel littered with EYHL talent, Tumilty believes his charges should target improvement on their previous displays as they return to Bhubaneswar, the site of Ireland’s first-ever FIH Pro League matches 12 months previously.
In the first block of fixtures in the 2024/25 season’s League in December, Ireland started with a 3-3 draw against England before falling to an 8-0 reverse against the same opponents.
The hosts on that occasion Argentina also overcame them 1-0 and 4-3 to leave Tumilty’s side on the hunt for their first win in 2024/25 going into this quartet of games.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the Indian experience last year, the quality of the pitch, the quality of the accommodation, the quality of the stadium and the atmosphere,” said Tumilty. “I am looking forward to experiencing that again.
“Last year, we were in more of a development phase and adjusting to the level of the opposition. We need to move on from the development phase we were in during the previous season.
“Ideally, we need to retain more possession of the ball this time around and create more goalscoring chances than we managed to do in our first season. We need to challenge ourselves.”
Tumilty is excited to see what Three Rock Rovers’ Ryder and Corinthian standout Williams can do.
“I think it’s been a mixture of how they performed at club level and how they have been performing in training with the senior group,” he said on the thought process behind their selections.
“Ben Ryder has been on the radar for 12 to 18 months and has done very well at the regional sessions.
“His biggest asset is his work ethic. He’s definitely performed well at regional level and deserves his opportunity.
“Greg is probably a bit of a left-field inclusion, but he has many strings to his bow. Greg has a corner that can be utilised at international level, and he has been quite prolific at club level during the 2024/25 season.”
Ireland squad: J Carr, L Roleston, K Marshall (capt), P McKibbin, A Walker, N Page, F Gibson, B Ryder, L Witherow, P Brown, J Lynch, B Pasley, K O’Dea, D Walsh, M Nelson, G Williams, J Duncan, B Johnson, L Rowe, B Walker, B Nelson, C Empey.
Fixtures: February 21 and 22 vs India (both 2pm BST), February 24 and 25 vs Germany (both 9.30am BST).