Tumilty will lean on Lee on Irish road to Tokyo

Rookie Irish men’s coach Mark Tumilty admits the experience of his assistant Jason Lee will prove crucial ahead of their two-legged Olympic qualifier against Canada. The double-header will be Tumilty’s first competitive ties since taking over from Alexander Cox, who resigned following European relegation in August.

It has been a helter-skelter acclimatisation for the coach since then, putting a plan in place for their potential ticket to Tokyo. But Lee brings a huge bank of knowledge, having played in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics before coaching Great Britain for four Games.