Stephen Kenny was giving little away when it came to team selection ahead of Saturday's opening Nations League clash with Armenia.
The Ireland manager would not even confirm that Josh Cullen would start the game following the news that the Anderlecht midfielder was not, in fact, suspended for the game.
Cullen has proved to be one of the most important players since Kenny took over the reins as Ireland manager and it is assumed that the former West Ham man has been one of the first players on the team-sheet throughout the past 20-odd months.
It has been widely reported that Kenny introduced many new players into the squad since taking over, and the manager used 24 different players in starting positions throughout the World Cup qualifiers.
And while a certain amount of consistency has appeared in the team in more recent games, as the side secured their first win last summer and then produced a range of impressive performances, the manager hinted that he may continue his policy of introducing new players.
"That’s a necessary part in the evolution of team building," said Kenny, when asked was he looking to look for better continuity in his starting XI from game to game.
"But nothing is set in stone," he added.
"It gives players room to get in with their form, like Michael Obafemi and CJ Hamiton, and Festy Obosele, who has different attributes, and he has emerged, and had a good season at Derby.
"Sometimes you have to make decisions if players lose their place; we would have felt Jamie McGrath would be with us as he did so well with us, but he hasn’t really played in six months so you can’t always predict how things will go with players at their clubs."
Ireland captain Seamus Coleman was also full of praise for the new players - a consistent theme across the week from all areas of the squad – saying that Obafemi, Hamilton and Obosele had really impressed throughout the week.
"When he was in last time, he was a really good lad, really good about the place and really bubbly and a good player," said Coleman, when asked about Obafemi’s impact four years ago when he won his first cap under Martin O’Neill.
"He has been fantastic in training along with CJ and Festy. Regular minutes at Swansea has really shown because he has been really, really good in training.
"It’s the manager’s decision on how he can impact games, but he has looked really sharp in training and is a really good prospect."
The arrival of the new faces into the squad has also added that much-valued competition for places, and Coleman believes that it is a sign of the times within the Ireland camp that there was no pull-outs or withdrawals with all 27 showing up for international duty.
"There has been times in the past that the summer window for people was an opportunity to rest and recover for the season ahead, but we have 27 lads desperate to be here, we’re enjoying how we are playing and how it is going.
"I think it is so important that the lads show up and be proud to play for their country and that has been evident over the past year as people are desperate to be here."
Four games in ten days now for the larger than normal squad and Coleman said that he was ready to go, but understands that he may be managed throughout the period.
"When you get to a certain age that happens all the time," said Coleman. "I played 30 Premier League games, sometimes just two days apart. It’s up to the manager to decide, [but] I feel fine."
And with games in such proximity, with the challenges of Ukraine and Scotland waiting post Armenia, Coleman stressed the importance of the players being fully switched on for the job in hand, and emphasised that whatever the outcome, the sweltering heat will not be accepted as an excuse should the team fail to secure that much wanted, first ever Nations League victory.
"I would never take any game for granted and we have to make sure that the lads don’t," said Coleman. "But I know the bunch of lads that we have wouldn’t take this game for granted.
"We have been stung in the past, so we’ll be fully focused, fully motivated to get a result against a good Armenia team, because all the nations, since I started playing, have improved massively with coaching and the tactical side of things as well.
"It (the weather) won’t be an excuse. We have all played long enough in different climates to understand that it’s not always going to be the same, it’s going to be tough, but we’re young fit lads and have to be prepared for the circumstances."
Follow Armenia v Republic of Ireland (Saturday, 2pm) via our live blog on rte.ie/sport or on the RTÉ News app. Watch live coverage on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player commencing at 1pm with live radio coverage on RTÉ Radio 1.
