It was open-training day down Lansdowne Road way this morning as the Republic of Ireland squad hosted thousands of screaming children on a school tour of sorts, enjoying the chance to see their heroes in the green jersey being put through their paces.
The session took place on the hallowed Aviva Stadium turf, bathed in early summer sunshine and, compared to the obligatory 15 minutes on Monday, the assembled media were just as excited, if not as vocal, as the schoolkids at the first chance to get a good look at this Ireland squad in full flight.
On such a day for the players, it was no surprise to see that certain squad members were plucked from the pack and paraded in front of the cameras and microphones to feed the media machine, giving the management team a day off in what should be a very, very long five weeks of international guff production.
They came in two by two; first the defenders Shane Duffy and Ciaran Clark, followed by the attacking Tractor Boys, Daryl Murphy and David McGoldrick.
The squad is currently a group of 30, with seven set to fall foul of the manager’s axe, which he has to wield ahead of the squad’s departure to France on 8 June.
But not this defensive duo of Duffy and Clark; Monday’s movements have made it pretty clear that Martin O’Neill’s defensive unit is now complete, barring a very left-field squad scenario.
Marc Wilson’s Euro 2016 dream came to an end yesterday as the manager confirmed that the Stoke defender would not be fully recovered from a knee injury to participate, while Paul McShane and Alex Pearce were told that their involvement this summer is likely to amount to watching from afar, as they were placed on the standby list.
That leaves a central defensive unit of John O’Shea, Richard Keogh, Ciaran Clark and Shane Duffy all set to be named in the Euro 2016 squad.
But listening to Duffy and Clark, you would think that they were still fearful of not making it into the final selection.
O’Neill is prone to the odd obscure decision and is renowned for keeping the players guessing, especially in the build-up to matches, but the Derry man is not going to play games with the heart of the squad, so Duffy and Clark can rest easy.
We know that they are going, and after yesterday, they know it too, and it must be a great position to be in as they watch the midfield and attacking unit bending over backwards this week trying to impress the manager for the two or three places that are up for grabs.
For Clark and Duffy, now the bigger picture comes into play, and both would relish the chance to take on Zlatan Ibrahimovic and his Swedish sidekicks on 13 June at Stade de France.
Clark will just need a few days embedded in the Ireland squad to exorcise the memories of a disastrous season at relegated Aston Villa and will remind himself of some assured performances in the green jersey, most notably alongside Richard Keogh in the two legs of the play-off victory against Bosnia-Herzegovina, to help Ireland qualify for this summer’s extravaganza.
Duffy, on the other hand, will be enjoying the moment as he looks ahead to the experience of travelling as part of a squad to a major championship.
But it won’t take the Blackburn Rovers man long to start convincing himself that he can do a job for Ireland this summer after a very consistent season at club level, while reminding himself of that defensive masterclass he performed against a very strong Switzerland side in March.
In fact, Ireland’s central defensive quartet is as good as the manager could have hoped for, when not too long ago many were wondering where the next proper centre-half would come from.
All four look like they can play alongside each other, which might see the manager trying different combinations over the next two games, perhaps with an eye on using certain duos for particular games this summer.
And Duffy’s height and ability at set-pieces gives him a real chance of grabbing one of those two jerseys, if not this summer, then certainly for the next World Cup campaign.
Ipswich pair Murphy and McGoldrick said the exact same things as the defensive pair, hoping that the manager selects them for the squad and saying that they are ready to work hard this week and hopefully put a strong case forward for inclusion.
But you sensed a much different vibe from this particular pair, as they undoubtedly do not have the defenders’ certainty, with a group of ten or so players playing for three, perhaps four spots in the midfield or attack, especially when so many players can be considered for either department.
If Murphy had enjoyed an injury-free second half of the season, there is no dispute that the goalscoring target man would be assured of a place on the plane.
But football can be a cruel mistress and the striker endured a lengthy lay-off since the turn of the year, Murphy even admitting that he is not yet 100% back to full fitness.
Murphy spent an extra week back in East Anglia with the Portman Road physiotherapy team to work on his fitness, which he claims has already made a big difference after a couple of intense days back training with the Ireland squad.
The Ipswich striker should still make that final 23, once he proves his fitness this week, with an extended spell against the Dutch on Friday likely so the manager can get a good look at where his game is at.
McGoldrick, like Murphy, has had to overcome injury issues in the second half of the season, and up until recently, it looked as though he had run out of time ahead of the Euros.
But the Ipswich man returned to fitness just in time to get a few 90 minutes under his belt ahead of the season’s end and has arrived into this squad with nothing to lose in his attempt to convince the manager to take a chance.
McGoldrick certainly falls into that category of player that O’Neill likes; a footballer who can create something out of nothing, hold on to the ball and make things happen in the final third.
And while many players are hoping that the squad is named sooner rather than later, Ipswich attacker McGoldrick admitted that the longer O’Neill waits, the better his chances of making the squad.
The countdown has begun.
