The 30-year-old will become the eight female centurion when she leads the time into battle against the Belgians, following Emma Byrne, Ciara Grant, Áine O'Gorman, Diane Caldwell, Niamh Fahey, Louise Quinn and Denise O’Sullivan into an exalted club.

Recently published accounts confirmed the FAI is still carrying €42m, with the extension of their men’s tournament drought preventing a real dent being put into the largesse.

“It's also easier to be chasing something than defending. Sometimes it's probably harder, in a sense, knowing you have that buffer because you can take your foot off the pedal."

In effect, if Belgium overturn the margin tomorrow to prevail, Ireland’s path will be more arduous. They would have to do what they failed this year – top of their League B group – to attain the same seeding status as if they finished bottom of League A.

Due to the presence of 22 players from their senior squad in the Irish set-up for their upcoming November internationals, there was a largely experimental look to the Leinster side for this game.

For Walshe it was her sixth Irish Record and her seventh medal while McSharry broke her fifth Irish Record and won her fifth medal.

It was a night when no fewer than six Leinster players made their debuts.

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal made the comments in a television interview. 

Japan face South Africa at Wembley next week while Australia play England at Twickenham. 

Ellen Walshe, Mona McSharry, Lottie Cullen have all set new Irish records. 

Despite Uefa initially awarding the second goal of the game to McCabe, they changed it to an own-goal to Nicky Evrard as the shot off the post last touched the Belgian goalkeeper on its way into the net.

It’s a pity only 14,118 were at the Aviva Stadum to witness the Arsenal winger’s masterclass.

The Guinness Jazz Festival programme has taken some flak this year from the jazz camp, but they would have had plenty to enjoy at Triskel on Saturday 

The 31-year-old is set to make his 300th appearance for the Red Devils in Saturday’s Premier League match against Brighton.

Baby Aoibhín’s arrival, coupled with a fourth All-Ireland medal, has made it a seminal year for Noel McGrath

Ellen Walshe and Mona McSharry kicked off the third and final stop of the 2025 World Aquatics World Cup in impressive fashion.

I first heard of Declan when he was a standout player with Ardscoil Rís Dean Ryan and Harty Cup teams in the late 2000s

Janice Cayman (37), Justine Vanhaevermaet (33) and Tessa Wullaert (32) have formed the spine of this Red Flames that peaked in 2020 by reaching 17th in the world.

Fifteen of Andy Farrell's touring Ireland squad featured in the recent Lions expedition Down Under. 

She may feel 24 but the country's inspirational captain turning 30 should fix the mind of Carla Ward and her Ireland team that the clock is ticking towards the 2027 World Cup