Revington names training panel for 2010

Paul Revington has annouced an Irish men’s squad of 24 players and seven “peripheral” squad members who he will work with over the next six months.

With Ireland’s next major tournament over a year away, the primary focus will be on strength and conditioning as the panel plays out their club commitments for the remainder of the 2009/10 season.

Explaining the make-up of the selection, Revington said: “The breakdown of ‘24’ and ‘7’ indicates a squad ranking at present (after 2009) but also a willingness to keep the squad open and competitive for 2010.

“Ireland’s Men’s Squad enters an important phase of consolidation and physical rejuvenation after a very busy 2009. The majority of the squad have all experienced a challenge in the past 12 months to balance work, university, hockey and life commitments and have done remarkably well to successfully negotiate a full club and international hockey calendar in 2009.

“Physiologically and emotionally this next phase between February and May 2010 will provide the players and the Senior Men’s system with an opportunity to combine current club league commitments with a busy strength and conditioning phase, leading to an active Summer regional and international phase through May – July 2010, and then culminating in an aggressive push toward the European Cup in 2011 from August 2010.

“The current named squad has a good degree of consistency from 2009 and represents a strong competitiveness for selection from within that is so important to keep raising the standard of performance in our Ireland Team.”

Ireland central panel: David Ames (Cookstown), Joe Brennan (Glenanne), Stephen Butler (Glenanne), Chris Cargo (Reading), Peter Caruth (Annadale), Timothy Cockram (Lisnagarvey), Mitch Darling (Leuven), Paul Gleghorne (Loughborough), Ronan Gormley (Pembroke), Conor Harte (Pembroke), David Harte (Pembroke), David Hobbs (Cork Church of Ireland), John Jackson (Loughborough), John Jermyn (Cork Church of Ireland), Timmy Lewis (Pembroke), Eugene Magee (Dragons), Michael Maguire (Three Rock Rovers), Phelie Maguire (Leuven), Geoff McCabe (Dragons), Andy McConnell (Pembroke), Graham Shaw (Glenanne), Alan Sothern (Pembroke), Iain Walker (YMCA), Michael Watt (Dragons)
Peripheral squad: Peter Blakeney (Three Rock Rovers), Alan Giles (Pembroke), Andrew Herbert (Cork Church of Ireland), Bruce McCandless (Banbridge), Adam Pritchard (Pembroke), Simon Todd (Mossley), Gareth Watkins (Monkstown)