Fire on the Floorball court as Team Ireland begins play
Team Ireland Floorball had its first day of competition at the Winter World Games, as five divisioning matches were hard-fought.
Inspiring moments and tough stretches of play were the order of the day, as Team Ireland got to grips with the competition and pulled together to play as a team.
This was doubly impressive as Coach Peter Merrins was unable to guide the team through the matches, as he sustained an achilles tendon injury at the start of the day! Assistant coaches George Fitzgerald and Dorothy Kavanagh ably stepped into the breach, making sure the team had a solid game plan.
The first match was against Poland. James Hunter got us off to a great start, grabbing the opening goal in the first minute, following it up with a second just a minute later! Joe Sheehan scored the third goal in the third minute, and following that lightning-fast start, Gavin Bourke brought it home with the final goal for a dominant performance. Watch Damien Kirwan's post-match interview here.
Meanwhile, Assistant Coach George Fitzgerald provided the coaching perspective in this post-match interview.
The second match of the day was a nail-bitingly close contest against Namibia. On this occasion Ireland was beaten by 3 goals to 2, but came away with even more experience and a better read on the conditions of play.
The third match saw Ireland back to its winning ways, with a stunning 4-goal victory over Jordan. It was a match with a high level of physicality - with the Jordan players "not afraid to put their bodies on the line", as Gavin Bourke said in his post-match interview.
Match number four was another courageous performance, full of heart, with Kenya coming away with a winning 2 goals to nil.
The final match of the day was a very close match against Costa Rica. The two very determined sides were very closely matched, and both teams had brilliant defence. Ireland goalkeeper Jack Buckley had a great game and made some incredible saves, with the final scoreboard recording a win for Costa Rica at 1 to nil. Watch goalkeeper Jack's post-match interview here.
We had the opportunity to speak to Floorball Coach Peter Merrins who was unable to lead the coaching team today due to his injury mishap - his spirits were high and his appraisal of the team was positive and proud - watch it here!
Team Ireland played with skill, heart, determination and team spirit today, marking a fantastic competitive debut in the Winter Games. We can't wait to see what they'll do tomorrow!
Match 1: Ireland 4 - 0 Poland
Match 2: Ireland 2 – 3 Namibia
Match 3: Ireland 4 – 0 Jordan
Match 4: Ireland 0 – 2 Kenya
Match 5: Ireland 0 – 1 Costa Rica
