Scotland Head Coach Ronald Ross says there is no pressure on his squad as they face Ireland in their Shinty / Hurling clash at Croke Park on Saturday 21 November 2015.
The Scotland squad trained at the excellent Ravenscraig facility on Sunday 15 November 2015. The recent poor weather restricted the availability of the usual shinty venues so the squad welcomed the chance to train on the full size 3G central-belt pitch. BBA Alba were also there to carry out interviews with some players and representatives from the management team and these will be broadcast at half-time as the station broadcasts LIVE coverage of the Ireland-Scotland clash from 4.30pm.
Some of the Scotland squad have been playing league matches for their clubs in the period since Scotland beat Ireland 24-14 at the Bught Park on Saturday 22 October 2015. The players have come through unscathed and others have attended weekly sessions in Inverness under the watchful eye of Neil Bowman since last month’s Bught Park encounter between the Celtic cousins.
Scotland Head Coach Ronald Ross, who has played three times (winning twice) for the Scots at Croke Park, has plenty to build on having seen his side turn in a terrific performance to win in Inverness last month. However he is in now doubt that the Irish have raised the bar for this weekend’s match. “They have raised the bar.” said Ross, “There’s no doubt about that but it’s up to us to match them. The inclusion of top hurlers like TJ Reid spices up the game but equally, he’ll have to get used to the cross-code game. However Ireland have taken in the best hurler in the game and that shows they mean business. It is also good for the fixture that a top hurler such as TJ Reid has bought into the Shinty / Hurling concept. It raises the profile of the match and Ireland will be a different beast with the four changes they have made. Most of the Irish squad will also now be adjusted to the rules of the game following the Inverness match so the second game is always harder for us. ”
However Ross has his main focus on Scotland and how they perform. He said, “It will be a fantastic experience for our players to play at Croke Park. There will be a big crowd and a great atmosphere, especially in the second half with supporters arriving for the Gaelic Football / Aussie Rules international. There is nothing for us to be scared of. We are a young and fit squad who can score goals and we can put points over the bar and the wide-open Croke Park pitch will be conducive to our running and passing style. We’ll be up against it and we have to handle that. But there is no pressure on us. We won at home and we played well and I want the players to enjoy this experience.”
Saturday 21 November 2015 – Croke Park, Dublin
Hurling / Shinty International
Ireland Senior Men v Scotland Senior Men – Throw in 4.35pm and the whole match will be broadcast LIVE on BBC Alba.
(Followed by 2015 Gaelic Football v Aussie Rules International)
Tickets for the game are priced at €25 for adults and €5 for juveniles and are available on GAA.ie/tickets and from selected SuperValu and Centra stores nationwide.
This is a stand-alone game, a change from last year’s two-legged points format. The game takes place prior to the EirGrid International Rules game between Ireland and Australia which starts at 7pm.
(Picture courtesy of Neil G Paterson)