Tokyo Olympics: Megan Frazer and Nikki Evans miss out on Ireland squad
- Published
Megan Frazer has struggled with injuries in recent seasons
Megan Frazer and Nikki Evans are two big-name omissions for Ireland's 16-player hockey squad for the Tokyo Olympics next month.
Katie Mullan will captain Sean Dancer's side and Sarah Torrans is named despite missing June's EuroHockey Championships with an ankle injury.
Michelle Carey, Zara Malseed and Liz Murphy will travel as reserves.
Ireland will take on reigning champions Great Britain, South Africa, India, the Netherlands and Germany in Pool A.
With the Olympic squads limited to 16 players and three reserves, compared to the 18-player squad plus reserves for the EuroHockey Championships, a number of the players who helped Ireland win a silver medal at the World Cup in 2018 were always set to miss out on selection.
Frazer has struggled with injuries in recent seasons and Evans' omission comes after Ireland had a poor EuroHockey Championships campaign earlier in June, which saw Dancer's side miss out on qualification for the World Cup.
Zoe Wilson was already ruled out of the Games with a knee injury sustained in January while twins Bethany and Serena Barr are also sidelined for the Games.
Defender Sarah McAuley made her competitive debut in Ireland's final Euros match with Italy and is included, however Ulster's Zara Malseed has to settled with a spot as travelling reserve despite an impressive cameo in Amsterdam.
Ulster players Mullan, Shirley McCay, Lizzie Holden and goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran are four of the 11 who featured in Ireland's fairytale World Cup run three years ago. Chloe Watkins, Hannah Matthews, Nicci Daly, Roisin Upton, Deirdre Duke, Lena Tice and Anna O'Flanagan are the other silver medallists included.
Evans 'unfortunate' to miss out
'Tough calls had to be made' - Katie Mullan
Ireland coach Dancer said having to cut his squad to 16 players meant some difficult decisions had to be made.
"We have gone for the option of Sarah Torrans coming back into the group," Dancer said of the line-up. "She was performing well before the Europeans. No fault of her own, she wasn't able to go through injury so when we cut back the numbers, Nikki Evans - with all her experience and incredible contributions to the team - was the unfortunate one to miss out.
"Sarah McAuley has impressed since coming into our environment as early as February and the first GB series. She got the opportunity to play that last Italian game [at the Euros] and she showed mobility, comfort on the ball and certainly showed she is willing to mix it with the senior girls.
"She has a very exciting career ahead of her and it is an exciting time for her. She does have minimal experience but sometimes that is the best way to approach it; she doesn't have that eight of expectation and can just go out there and play and that's what we hope she does.
"Ireland's senior women have had a long history and everybody that has gone before, in this group and previously, has made a huge contribution to where we are now. That really needs to be acknowledged; we will be at the Olympics, doing it for all of them and the long history that has gone before."
Ireland open their Olympics campaign against South Africa on 24 July before their remaining Pool A matches with the Netherlands, Germany, India and Great Britain.
Ireland squad: Ayeisha McFerran, Chloe Watkins, Hannah Matthews, Sarah Torrans, Nicci Daly, Roisin Upton, Hannah McLoughlin, Deirdre Duke, Katie Mullan, Shirley McCay, Sarah Hawkshaw, Lena Tice, Naomi Carroll, Lizzie Holden, Sarah McAuley, Anna O'Flanagan.
Travelling reserves: Liz Murphy (GK), Michelle Carey, Zara Malseed.