Republic of Ireland boss Vera Pauw has said that telling some of Ireland's players that they would not be going to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next month was the "worst day of her career."
There had been hope from a number of players that they would make the 23-player panel, but that wasn't the case, and the harsh reality of managerial decisions reared has its head this week.
Ireland's squad was announced today, and the likes of Aoife Mannion, Megan Campbell, and Leanne Kiernan did not make the final selection.
Mannion tweaked knee ligaments in Manchester United training a month ago and only had her knee brace removed on Monday. There had been hope that the United defender would just squeeze in, but Pauw's final selection has come too soon for the 27-year-old.
Campbell withdrew from Ireland's double-header against the USA in April and failed to feature in any of Liverpool's final six games, and Kiernan missed most of the club season with Liverpool due to an ankle injury and has only featured for Ireland once in 9 months. This came in last week's 3-2 win over Zambia. All three are the standout names omitted from the squad.
Pauw explained the reasoning behind her final selection to the media at the UCD Bowl this morning.
"I've never experienced this before. It's the bond that I have with these players, it's the hard work. Also how they stood behind me in difficult times and how the FAI stood behind me. How Ireland has embraced me. Everything together," said the Ireland boss to the media.
"Telling players that really stood up for you that they are not going to the World Cup and breaking their dreams.
🗣 'That's been the hardest, hardest decision' | 💔
🇮🇪 Ireland manager Vera Pauw explains how difficult it was to leave Jamie Finn out of her #FIFAWWC squad
☘ #COYGIG pic.twitter.com/xxoGutwSBW— Off The Ball (@offtheball) June 28, 2023
"They will make Ireland proud, and you see the training sessions. But I spoke to Louise Quinn, and she said she got hit by the pain of players missing out more than the celebration of making it.
"That shows how strong we have built together and how close we are. I had the hard task to be responsible for the final decision.
"It's the worst day in my career. Not the best. Yesterday was the worst, and hopefully from today, it will become better."
Pauw also explained that every player was shown a video about their performances, and the final decision was made on the back of this.
Despite having made the tough call, Pauw believes that she has made the right decision ahead of Ireland's inaugural World Cup next month.
"The final decision was made after the session and watching the video," she added. "We had to make it then. That is elite sport, but I have broken dreams. It is so hard for them because that World Cup will never come back.
"For them, it is the hardest. We had to go through this. It was difficult, very difficult. After the training, we watched the video again to give the hardest decisions another chance, and we are convinced we made the right decisions."
Ireland will travel to Australia on Friday, July 7, the day after their final preparation on home soil against France in Tallaght Stadium.
The squad selection is subject to change should any injuries occur in advance of the FIFA deadline on July 10.
Ireland WNT Squad
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (Reading), Megan Walsh (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Defenders: Heather Payne (Florida State University), Áine O'Gorman (Shamrock Rovers), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Diane Caldwell (Reading), Claire O'Riordan (Celtic), Megan Connolly (Brighton & Hove Albion), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City), Izzy Atkinson (West Ham United)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O'Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Lily Agg (London City Lionesses), Ruesha Littlejohn (Aston Villa), Ciara Grant (Hearts), Sinead Farrelly (NJ/NY Gotham), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City)
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (London City Lionesses), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Marissa Sheva (Washington Spirit), Abbie Larkin (Shamrock Rovers)Training Players: Sophie Whitehouse, Harriet Scott, Jamie Finn
FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 - Group BJuly 20 | Australia v Ireland, Stadium Australia, Sydney, KO 11:00 (Irish Time)July 26 | Canada v Ireland, Rectangular Stadium, Perth, KO 13:00 (Irish Time)July 31 | Ireland v Nigeria, Lang Park, Brisbane, KO 11:00 (Irish Time)
