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RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Preview: Irish promotion hopes on the line in Istanbul
Istanbul. A vast city shaped by the influences of former empires; decorated with Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman architecture, its skyline punctured by modern high-rise tower blocks. The old and the new. The Republic of Ireland have arrived into this cultural melting pot with tectonic plates shifting beneath the squad's foundations. Niamh Fahey, Diane Caldwell and Julie-Ann Russell are all gone; soon Louise Quinn will follow them, the defender set to officially retire after the two friendlies against the USA at the end of June. These great servants have left an indelible mark on the women's game, but the void they leave behind must be filled. It's an opportunity for the new figures to rise. Erin Healy is the most recent addition to the setup and her call-up is interesting. The San Diego-born attacker played college football with Gonzaga University in Washington but had no pressing ambition to pursue a professional career, lining up a job in accounting. A successful stint in Portugal with Club de Albergaria changed her perspective. Healy moved to Adelaide in September 2024 - the same month she received her Irish citizenship - and the rest is history. Boss Carla Ward had suggested the 24-year-old A-League star was closing in on a move to Europe, potentially the WSL, so it was a surprise to see Adelaide announce earlier this week that Healy is staying Down Under for the 2025/26 campaign. That's going to be one hell of a commute. First, she must make a good enough impression to ensure Ward wants her back. Charlton's Melisa Filis was called up in Ward's first camp, didn't play a minute, and hasn't been seen since. In February 2023, Vera Pauw gave Australia-born Deborah-Anne De La Harpe her shot in a friendly against China in Spain. De La Harpe was taken off at half-time. She also hasn't been seen since. These are the type of call-ups that Ward really needs to get right. Guided by the FAI's Head of Talent ID and Recruitment Aidan Price, Ireland are scouring the globe for eligible talents, with many players actively reaching out to the association to let them know they are willing and able to represent the Girls in Green. That's no bad thing, but Ward is simultaneously trying to nurture the young talent playing in the League of Ireland. She's been very positive about the league's quality, while acknowledging that the step up to international football is steep. Ruesha Littlejohn (Shamrock Rovers) and Aoibheann Clancy (Shelbourne) are the only to home-based players in the current squad. If Healy doesn't cut the mustard, there'll be understandable groans of frustration within the league that she's been given this chance while others are overlooked. Still, it makes sense to draft in someone of her age and profile. Of the 24 players in the panel, only six are under 25: Tyler Toland (23), Abbie Larkin (20), Healy (24), Jessie Stapleton (20), Emily Murphy (22) and Aoibheann Clancy (21). Omitting the soon-to-be-retired Quinn, 12 of the 23 will be aged 30 or over by the time the World Cup qualifiers begin next spring. Ward is trying to build for the future while getting results along the way. It's a tricky task. But Ireland could do with unearthing more good footballers in the 22 to 28 age bracket to strengthen their chances of making it to Brazil in 2027 and the 2029 Euros. For the moment, the focus is on getting back to League A of the Nations League, which would boost Ireland's seeding for World Cup qualification. The Group 2 winners go straight up, second place sends you into a two-legged promotion/relegation play-off against one of the League A third-placed teams. Truth be told, two more competitive games in the autumn would be no harm as the team wades through a period of transition. They'll be braced for a physical battle this evening against a decent Turkish outfit. Necla Gungor Kiragasi set her players up in a 4-4-2 block in Dublin instructing the likes of Ebru Topcu and Busem Seker to bite into tackles on a bad pitch. They duly obliged. Ireland laboured to a 1-0 victory but the visitors very nearly pinched a point at the death when Arzu Karabulut spurned a great opportunity. In their four Nations League games to date the Turks have conceded five goals - three of them coming in a 3-0 away loss to Slovenia, who really do look like a coming team. They're a tough nut to crack, so Ireland will need guile and patience here. Leanne Kiernan (quad) and Heather Payne (Achilles) are both out so Abbie Larkin could get a run from the start. Healy, the newbie, might feature off the bench at some point. She's impressed Ward and her staff in training this week, and is a bit of a wild card if the visitors are struggling to break Turkey down. Captain Katie McCabe trained yesterday having linked up with the squad on Wednesday. The Dubliner is coming back down to earth after helping Arsenal to a magnificent Champions League final win against Barcelona. Ward has said she's raring to go but McCabe has been managing a calf niggle for a while now and might be held in reserve; especially with the Slovenia game at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in mind. Kyra Carusa will lead the line having missed the 2-1 defeat of Greece due to a quad injury, while Megan Connolly is also back in the frame after missing that March window. As for Louise Quinn? Don't be surprised to see her make a cameo up top if Ireland need a goal. Ward has said she won't be afraid to use Campbell's big throws and Quinn's aerial prowess if she needs to. A big winner would be another sweet moment in what's been a superb Ireland career. Prediction: Turkey 0-1 Republic of Ireland REPUBLIC OF IRELAND SQUAD Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (Unattached), Sophie Whitehouse (Charlton Athletic) Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (West Ham United), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Caitlin Hayes (Brighton & Hove Albion), Louise Quinn (Unattached), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City), Megan Campbell (Unattached), Katie McCabe (Arsenal) Midfielders: Denise O'Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Ruesha Littlejohn (Shamrock Rovers), Megan Connolly (Lazio), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Marissa Sheva (Sunderland), Aoibheann Clancy (Shelbourne)
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Sojourn Down Under rekindled Erin Healy's love for the game
Republic of Ireland recruit Erin Healy says the fun she had during her time in the the A-League in Australia brought about a renewed love for the game. Last week, the 24-year-old San Diego-born attacker was called up by Carla Ward ahead of the Nations League encounters against Turkey and Slovenia. Healy qualifies through her Clones-born grandfather Hugh McGuire, and revealed that it was a long-held ambition for her to wear the green of Ireland. Speaking to the the press from the Irish squad's base in Turkey, she said: "With my grandfather coming to the USA from Ireland, the Irish heritage has always been part of who I am. When I was in college, my coach enquired as to whether any of us had dual citizenship. "I asked my mom and she was already collecting documents. I got my citizenship (last September) and ever since then it has been my goal to play for this team. "It was an unreal experience and it was something I'd been working hard for, really hard for and it is super exciting to be here. I've already been welcomed by the coaching staff. It's a great group of people and hopefully I'll get some playing time. The team are definitely climbing, are making big strides, and I'm delighted to be part of that . "It's something that would have made my grandfather proud." Healy's arrival in Ireland comes on the back of an impressive season with Adelaide United in the Ninja A-League, where she scored eight goals and was named the team's player of the year. There was also a stint in Portugal with Club de Albergaria. The Irish boss sees Healy as a potential replacement for the injured Leanne Ward, speaking highly of the player at last week's squad announcement. "She is Australia based but soon to be European based this summer and that will help for sure. She is someone we watched quite a lot," Ward said. "If you have a look at her, she can score goals and link the play. Importantly, she has got a lot of pace and somebody we have been excited about." In assessing her own worth on the pitch, Healy admitted that she's somewhat enigmatic, when saying: "I like to be involved in a lot of the play, I like to be creative but I'm hard to read in how I play. I like to give a defender a lot to defend against, so that's what you can expect of me." The latest addition to the Irish squad has certainly gained much experience abroad and as to her future plans, she was somewhat non-committal. "We are having a few conversations but I'm focusing on this camp first". Though when pushed, Healy did say that the WSL would be "the area I'd be most interested in". Of course, there was a period when Healy was ready to walk away from the game after graduating from college with an accounting degree. Recalling the that time, she said: "I took an internship during my college years and I enjoyed the corporate world. I was scared that if you don't get your foot in there at the beginning it might be harder down the road but I also knew I wasn't done with soccer and I had more to give." Those stints in Portugal and Australia underlined that that she did indeed have more to give. "I went to the Portuguese league to see if I wanted to continue with soccer. I realised it was part of who I am and I wanted to keep it going. The Portuguese league showed that I had more potential, that I could play in different environments, and perform in those environments. "I wanted to give it one more try and see what comes of it. I found the fun again, I fell back in love with it. "Going to Australia was a big leap but I'm comfortable away from home even though I knew I'd be home sick a little bit. I met amazing people and they became my family, a family away from family. "I think I play my best when I'm having fun. In Australia I had fun every second."
RTÉ News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
'Large group' of Irish players Lisbon-bound to back Katie McCabe's Champions League dream
"A large group" of Republic of Ireland players will make a pit stop in Lisbon on Saturday to support Katie McCabe in the Champions League final, before flying out to Istanbul to prepare for a crunch international double-header. Ireland face Turkey on Friday week and then welcome Slovenia to Páirc Uí Chaoimh four days later - two key games as they look to keep alive their Nations League promotion hopes. Arsenal star McCabe will be allowed to link up a little later than everyone else due to her involvement in the European showpiece against Barcelona at Estádio José Alvalade, and she'll have the support of several Ireland teammates in the stands. "I don't know the exact number but there's players going to support her," said Ireland boss Carla Ward. "There's a flight out of Lisbon to Turkey, they'll arrive at the same time as everybody else does on Sunday. There's a large group of players going to watch "I think Katie will be returning maybe two or three days late. Let's hope that they do the job and she comes in with a nice medal which will hopefully put her in a good position to then help us with these two games. We wish her well, we wish the whole squad well. "We know that she's coming late, win, lose or draw, because Arsenal have some things prepared for them. No matter what, it's an unbelievable achievement to get to where they've got to." The Girls in Green need six points from the last two games of their campaign to have any hope of gaining automatic promotion from League B. Ward has drafted San Diego-born, Australia-based attacker Erin Healy into the squad for the first time, while Louise Quinn is included despite announcing her retirement earlier this month. "I told (Healy) this morning," Ward said. "She wasn't expecting it. A nice surprise, I think. She's pacey, she can play off both sides, she can play down the middle. I think she is a natural replacement for Leanne (Kiernan, out with a quad injury). "We actually looked at her for the last camp and it probably wasn't the right time. But given the situation with Leanne, we thought she was a natural replacement. "She has attracted a number of WSL clubs and will hopefully end up there this summer. We've been watching her quite a lot, she is an exciting young player." Quinn hasn't played for her country since the 3-1 defeat of France in Cork last July. A hip injury ruled her out of the Euro 2025 play-offs against Georgia and Wales, but Ward insists the centre-half is ready to go if called upon. "She's made it very, very clear that she's fit, she's firing. I've had her Birmingham manager on to me telling me the same thing. She'll turn up, she'll train, there's competition for everybody. "I think if you saw her Instagram post after the last Blues game, she made it clear it was her last game in a blue shirt. She's desperate to represent her country one more time. I can't tell her, I've been honest. It's not necessarily nailed on. She's got to earn the right to be selected for these games, but she's in with a chance, like everybody else." Ward espouses the importance of leadership in the dressing-room, coaxing some of the younger players out of their shell to fill a void left by a cluster of recent retirements. There's a leadership void within the FAI too: Hannah Dingley is leaving her role as the head of women's and girls' football to become the girls' head of academy with Manchester City; the news comes on the heels of Marc Canham's decision to step away as the association's chief football officer in June. Shane Robinson has been appointed interim technical director, while the search for Canham's successor continues. "It's disappointing for me," Ward added of Dingley's departure. "I've known Hannah a long time. I was Hannah's captain many years ago. "She's somebody that I've known a very long time, a very, very, very good person. She sits opposite me in the FAI so I usually get her around the tactics board, I'll miss that of course. She's got a wonderful opportunity at Manchester City and I wish her all. For me, it's a big loss personally. I wish her well. "(Canham) recruited me. I'm on the phone to him every day trying to knock down doors. I always want more, Marc's helped me with that. I think it's going to be important, like I said, the person who comes in has to be a football person. I've been honest about that, it's got to be somebody who's also going to be as supportive of the women as Marc has been."
Irish Examiner
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Ward tips Ireland newcomer Healy for Women's Super League move
Carla Ward expects Ireland's latest recruit Erin Healy to be playing in England next season. San Diego-born, the 24-year-old striker is based in Australia with A-League outfit Adelaide United and has declared through her grandfather from Monaghan. Victories in their final pair of Uefa Nations League fixtures against Turkey away on Friday week and Slovenia in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Tuesday, June 3 are essential for Ireland to have a chance of promotion to the top 16 nations in next year's World Cup qualifiers. Unless Slovenia – who hammered Ireland 4-0 in Ward's second match at the helm – drop points in Greece or lose by five goals in Cork, Ireland will need to win an October playoff against opponents from the A ranks to achieve that status for the qualification series leading to Brazil in 2027. Firepower is imperative and together with Celtic's Cork native Saoirse Noonan, the Ireland boss is relying on the newcomer to provide the necessary goals. 'Erin has attracted attention from a number of Women's Super League clubs and will hopefully end up there this summer,' said Ward, who managed Birmingham City and Aston Villa in the English top-flight. 'Being European-based this summer will help for sure. 'She is someone we watched quite a lot. If you have a look at her, she can score goals and link the play. Importantly, she has got a lot of pace and somebody we have been excited about.' Erin Healy of Adelaide United scores the equaliser against Melbourne Victory at Coopers Stadium this month. Pic:Louise Quinn recently announced her retirement but the centurion will round off her career on the international stage over the summer. Ireland have two friendlies away to Fifa's top seeds, USA, in June and July. 'We asked to bring in a 24th player and there's a number of reasons why it was Louise,' explained Ward who succeeded Eileen Gleeson at the start of this year. 'Louise has made it very, very clear that she's fit, she's firing. I've had her Birmingham manager on to me telling me the same thing. 'She'll turn up, she'll train, there's competition for everybody. She's desperate to represent her country one more time. 'I can't tell her, I've been honest. It's not necessarily nailed on. She's got to earn the right to be selected for these games, but she's in with a chance, like everybody else. 'Lou can help us with is not just about on the pitch, it's off the pitch. We've been doing a lot of work around how do we develop these next young leaders, how do we bring that out of them, and Lou's going to play a big part in that. 'Lou's job in this next camp is far bigger than being just a footballer.' Captain Katie McCabe will link up with the squad in Türkiye following the UEFA Women's Champions League Final, where she aims to become the fourth Irish woman to pick up a winners' medal for Arsenal. Ireland WNT Squad Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (Unattached), Sophie Whitehouse (Charlton Athletic) Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (West Ham United), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Caitlin Hayes (Brighton & Hove Albion), Louise Quinn (Unattached), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City), Megan Campbell (Unattached), Katie McCabe (Arsenal) Midfielders: Denise O'Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Ruesha Littlejohn (Shamrock Rovers), Megan Connolly (Lazio), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Marissa Sheva (Sunderland), Aoibheann Clancy (Shelbourne) Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Emily Murphy (Newcastle United), Saoirse Noonan (Celtic), Erin Healy (Adelaide United) UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE League B, Group 2 Türkiye v Ireland Friday, May 30 Esenler Erok Stadium, Istanbul KO 18:00 (Irish Time), 20:00 (Local Time) Live on RTÉ2 / RTÉ Player Ireland v Slovenia Tuesday, June 3 Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork KO 18:00 Live on RTÉ2 / RTÉ Player
RTÉ News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
A-League attacker Erin Healy gets Ireland call, Louise Quinn back in the fold
Adelaide United attacker Erin Healy has been called up to Carla Ward's Republic of Ireland squad for the upcoming UEFA Women's Nations League games against Turkey and Slovenia, with Louise Quinn also included despite announcing her retirement earlier this month. San Diego-born Healy qualifies through her Monaghan-born grandfather. The 24-year-old has impressed in her debut season Down Under, scoring eight goals in the Ninja A-League and being named the team's player of the year. Healy was ready to walk away from the game a couple of years ago after graduating from college with an accounting degree. A successful stint in Portugal with Club de Albergaria fed her hunger to stay in football, with a move to Adelaide in September 2024 further fuelling belief she could make her way in the profession. That same month, Healy received her Irish citizenship. She's been open about her ambition to represent the Girls in Green and gets her chance in an important window. Quinn announced her retirement earlier this month, coming off the bench in the closing stages of Birmingham City's 2-2 draw against London City Lionesses for her final club appearance. However, she informed Ward that he wanted to make herself available for this window and the June friendlies against the USA. The defender now looks likely to add a few more caps to her tally before heading off into the sunset. Megan Connolly returns after missing the back-to-back wins over Greece in April, while Shelbourne's Aoibheann Clancy stays in the picture having been included in the squad last time. Heather Payne (Achilles) and Leanne Kiernan (quad) are absent, with Tara O'Hanlon, Jamie Finn, Lily Agg and Jess Ziu all still recovering from long-term injuries. Captain Katie McCabe will link up with the squad in Turkey after Saturday's Women's Champions League final in Lisbon between Arsenal and Barcelona. McCabe is aiming to become the fourth Irishwoman to pick up a winners' medal for the Gunners - Emma Byrne, Yvonne Tracy and Ciara Grant lifted the trophy in 2007. Ireland face the Turks in Istanbul on Friday, 30 May (6pm kick-off) and then host Slovenia in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Tuesday, 3 June (6pm). Both games will be broadcast live on RTÉ2 and on the RTÉ Player. Republic of Ireland Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (Unattached), Sophie Whitehouse (Charlton Athletic) Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (West Ham United), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Caitlin Hayes (Brighton & Hove Albion), Louise Quinn (Unattached), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City), Megan Campbell (Unattached), Katie McCabe (Arsenal) Midfielders: Denise O'Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Ruesha Littlejohn (Shamrock Rovers), Megan Connolly (Lazio), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Marissa Sheva (Sunderland), Aoibheann Clancy (Shelbourne)
