Eurohockey Championship II: 'I want squad to express themselves' - Ireland coach Tumilty upbeat for Poland tournament
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Ian Stewart and Jeremy Duncan celebrate an Ireland goal against the GB development side
Ireland coach Mark Tumilty has called on his squad to adopt a more attacking style of play as they prepare for their first competitive action since 2019.
The Irish men's team open their EuroHockey II Championship campaign against hosts Poland on Sunday.
"I'd like us to express ourselves a bit more, to get away from the belief in hard work and defence, which should be a given," said Tumilty.
"We should have more shape in midfield, then be patient in the final third."
Ireland's last competitive fixture was their controversial Olympic play-off defeat by Canada in November 2019, while earlier that year in Antwerp they finished eighth in the EuroHockey Championships and were relegated to Division Two.
Over the summer, Ireland have won two uncapped series against Scotland and have also beaten a Great Britain development panel four times.
Tumilty's side are the highest ranked side in Poland at 14th in the world and their primary target is to progress to October's World Cup qualifiers.
'My goal is to consistently qualify for larger tournaments'
After facing the Poles in Griezno on Sunday, the take on Italy on Tuesday and Croatia on Wednesday followed by the classification matches on Friday and Saturday.
"Poland at home will be a difficult game - they do the basics well - while Croatia and Italy are both a bit of an unknown," added Tumilty.
"Our aim is obviously to finish in the top five and guarantee qualification but we also want to improve our ranking. If we produce the performances we are capable of we should be grand.
"My goal is to consistently qualify for the larger tournaments and I think this is a small step towards that."
Mark Tumilty was appointed Ireland men's hockey coach on a full-time basis in October 2020
'A development phase within the group'
Six uncapped players have been named in a somewhat new-look Ireland squad for the competition after what Tumilty describes as a "difficult" selection process.
Kevin O'Dea, James Milliken, Kyle Marshall, Ben Nelson, Ian Stewart and Mark McNellis have all been given call-ups.
"I still see this as a development phase with the group but I'm happy with the squad we have picked. I think it's got a good mixture.
"We have a very strong midfield, I'm happy with what we have shape-wise in defence and we have different options up front, guys who can play in different roles.
"The games against Scotland were positive and we had a good experience playing against GB.
"We were conceding a few but the highlights were the goals we were scoring, which is exciting going into a tournament.
"One upside of the strange times caused by Covid was we had more time together to train and help with the physical development of the younger players.
"They're a great group to work with and a number of players have been given an opportunity over the last couple of months so there is good competition for places going into the Euros."
Ulster's Sean Murray is the new Ireland captain
'A massively exciting time'
Ireland also have a new captain in Ulster's Sean Murray, formerly of Lisnagarvey, who now plays his club hockey for Leuven in Belgium.
"The whole squad is excited at the prospect of playing competitive international hockey again," enthused Murray.
"It's a massively exciting time with the new guys coming in and the vibe around the squad is fantastic.
"You can bring some experience back from playing in Belgium in terms of the tactical thing and dynamic attacking - it's very direct over there so I try to improve my level personally and bring it back to the guys here."