Louise Quinn came through training in Perth on Tuesday to raise hopes she will be fit for the Republic of Ireland's massive World Cup clash with Canada.
Quinn wore a protective boot over the weekend after hurting her foot during last Thursday's 1-0 defeat to Australia.
RTÉ Sport understands she took a full part in training on Tuesday evening with no adverse reaction, and should therefore be available for selection.
Heather Payne had strapping on a slightly tight hamstring, but that is understood to be a precaution also. The right wing-back is expected to play but the sight of her standing out of the session's small-sided games was disconcerting.
At the earlier pre-match press conference, Pauw had revealed that Quinn needed to come through the team's final training session without any problems to prove she's in shape to start.
"We are also a bit concerned," said the manager. "We think that she can play but we are always honest. She is going to train [today], and see how far she gets. It's a foot injury.
"It's an injury that is not very straightforward. It's just really relying on how she reacts on the next training session. I'm not hiding anything, I'm always open."
The Republic of Ireland have at least one major injury concern heading into their Women's World Cup clash with Canada on Wednesday in Perth.#FIFAWWC #RTEsoccer pic.twitter.com/wUDUCARo33
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) July 25, 2023
Quinn would be an enormous loss for Ireland. She held the back line together superbly against the Aussies and her aerial and organisational abilities make her a crucial presence.
Diane Caldwell, Aine O'Gorman and Chloe Mustaki all offer experienced defensive cover, but Pauw will desperately hope both Quinn and Payne make it after spending the last few days finetuning preparations for the crunch clash with the reigning Olympic champions.
"Canada is a very, very experienced team and they know how to have patience in getting their results," Pauw added.
"And they often get the results in the later stages. That shows that they have to trust to keep on going with a game plan.
"They have a few exceptional players. [Jessie] Fleming will play tomorrow. [Christine] Sinclair, of course, is a huge threat. And in their teamwork, they're very experienced. So we are fully aware of this. We hope that we can put something against it."
Watch Republic of Ireland v Canada in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player on Wednesday at 1pm, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to live commentary on 2fm
