By Alyce Collett (20/2/25)
Above: Katie McCabe (right) and Megan Campbell (left) in training. Image: FAIreland on X.
It is the dawn of a new era for the Republic of Ireland’s women’s national team, as they prepare to get their next Nations League campaign started tomorrow with matches against Turkey and Slovenia.
After spending last Nations League campaign in League A, getting relegated then missing out on qualification for this year’s Euros, it’s back to League B and in many ways back to square one. It is also the dawn of a new era personnel wise, with a new manager and three legends of the team – Diane Caldwell, Niamh Fahey and Julie-Ann Russell – putting their feet up and enjoying international retirement.
But, this team cannot afford to think of this as a return to square one or a push backwards down the ladder of progression. They need to ignore the heartache of the 2024 calendar year, and think of this year as a chance to take a new path towards the goal of matching with the best in the continent.
But if the past 18 months or so since the World Cup has shown, lower teams are a blessing in disguise for this team.
There is no doubt that the confidence will be rocked after what happened against Wales, but this League B is a chance to reset, get those goal scoring boots back on and regain the confidence ahead of what should be a return to League A next campaign.
The question will be can the team repeat the ruthlessness shown last League B campaign, or will the confidence be too rocked from the Wales matches and they will regress even further?
That is not the only question facing the team this window. With three massive retirements over recent months, some big holes in the starting line up need to be filled.
Two of those are in the centre of defence, with Niamh Fahey and Diane Caldwell both among the trio of retirements.
Luckily for the Girls in Green this has been an area that has really been strengthened since the World Cup campaign, and although Louise Quinn is still missing, Aoife Mannion, Anna Patten and Caitlin Hayes can confidently fill the role and have shown that in previous campaigns.
The bigger question will be in attack, where the retirement of Julie-Ann Russell will prove trickier to navigate. The team looks better with a bit of speed in attack and with multiple forwards on the park, as opposed to having just Kyra Carusa as the lone striker.
With Saoirse Noonan also not being named in the squad but in the circle of a potential recall, this gives players like Quinn and Kiernan extra motivation to really put on a good performance this window. Perhaps even Marissa Sheva could fill the role, with the nifty midfielder already proven to be able to play a similar role but in midfield.
The Republic of Ireland will face Turkey on Friday night, before heading across to Slovenia to face them on Tuesday.
Both matches will be shown on RTE2, but fans outside the Republic may need a strong VPN to be able to tune into RTE’s coverage.
Republic of Ireland Squad for February International Window
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan, Grace Moloney, Sophie Whitehouse
Defenders: Katie McCabe, Aoife Mannion, Heather Payne, Anna Patten, Jessie Stapleton, Caitlin Hayes, Megan Campbell
Midfielders: Ruesha Littlejohn, Denise O’Sullivan, Marissa Sheva, Tyler Toland, Megan Connolly, Mel Filis
Forwards: Lucy Quinn, Izzy Atkinson, Leanne Kiernan, Abbie Larkin, Kyra Carusa, Amber Barrett, Emily Murphy
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