League's Men in Green set for RLWC08
Ireland’s home-grown players might not be the best known in Rugby League but many of the Emerald Isle’s aspiring stars are to have their chance to make their Rugby League World Cup dream come true tomorrow (September 6).
That’s when the Irish team coach Andy Kelly and team manager Mike Callaghan will fly across the Irish Sea to watch the Irish ‘A’ team play England Lionhearts at Tullamore, County Offaly.
The embryonic Irish competition, the Carnegie League, provides the Irish players with an opportunity to play League regularly in a country where Gaelic sports like hurling and football together with soccer and rugby union dominate and for this fixture against the English there’s an extra incentive for the Irishmen to shine.
“Although the rules regarding including domestic players in your squads have been
relaxed for the World Cup, we‘re still firm believers in the concept and will be looking to take between two and five players from Ireland,” Callaghan said.
The Irish team management have already drawn up a draft shopping list of players they want to watch but Callaghan has confirmed that the door is still open for any Ireland ‘A’ player who can prove himself.
“The big thing is that Andy Kelly is going to the match with an open mind,” added Callaghan.
“We’d love to take five of the boys from Ireland but it all depends who is good enough on the day.”
The Ireland ‘A’ team is made up of players from Irish 40-man squad named for the World Cup and once the game against the Lionhearts has been played Kelly will sit down with Ireland ‘A’ team coach Tony Benson to see how the players performed.
Kiwi Benson was brought into work on skills with the elite Irish domestic players and Callaghan said: “Tony has worked well the players in Ireland and you can see what great progress they’ve made.”
The Lionhearts is the representative team for the English players from the burgeoning summer-time Rugby League Conference, a competition which now spans England, Scotland and Wales.
With the British Rugby League season coming towards the business end of year the Irish team management are contenting themselves with polishing up their plans for the trip to Australia in October and November.
“We’ve had quite a number of intense meetings where we’ve looked in depth at the players, tactics and training plans,” he said.
“Once the engage Super League and Co-operative National League seasons are over then we’ll start work with the in earnest.”
The Irish staged the first major team meeting in Huddersfield earlier this month and Callaghan reports that it was very successful.
John Huxley in the UK.