Ireland must be aware of South Korea corner threat says Mark Tumilty

“We can’t give away many corners otherwise we will find it difficult. They do like to apply on the counter and have excellent pace.”

Ireland coach Mark Tumilty. Picture: Adrian Boehm

At the Men’s World Cup in India last January, German umpire Ben Goentgen suffered a serious cheekbone fracture, spending 10 days in hospital after being hit flush in the face from a penalty corner deflection during the Netherlands and South Korea match.

It followed Jang Jonghyun's stinging drag flick and, although an accident, it served to highlight the power employed by a player in his 40th year.

He will undoubtedly be one of Ireland’s players to watch when the Green Machine battle for the final men’s qualification ticket to Paris 2024.

“He’s an excellent player even without their corners and has a significant passing range,” Ireland coach Mark Tumilty said of Jang, who has over 330 caps.

“We can’t give away many corners otherwise we will find it difficult. It is something we need to be aware of. They do like to apply on the counter and have excellent pace.”

While there is less reliance on penalty corners due to more canny defences in world hockey, the set piece routines could prove crucial on Sunday. On Friday, Spain qualified for Paris with two corner goals and Tumilty has called upon his side to find more chances from open play.

“We were good with the ball up until the final third of the pitch against Spain,” he said. “We haven’t scored [from open play] in two games now. The Spain game came down to the corners. They will be key against Korea, but we have to create opportunities as well.”

Tumilty, the former Banbridge player, walked away from 21 years in the financial services sector when he was handed the men’s coaches role full-time in 2020. He had previously been in charge of the team for their controversial defeat to Canada over two legs in Tokyo Olympic qualifying.

In a fortnight, Ireland travel to India for their first taste of the FIH Pro League where the men will play against the world’s top sides consistently for the first time.

“It will become more significant for us if we can get to Paris,” admitted Tumilty. “There is definitely more competition now. We have younger players coming through, and more contact time.”

As head coach, he watches EY League domestic action every weekend, school fixtures and keeps a close eye on junior programme sessions.

“That’s the challenge we have as a nation so we don’t have to constantly rebuild. We want to get to a place where we are competing," he added.

Only two players, David Harte and Shane O’Donoghue, remain from their Rio squad, while the current side has nine who featured in 2019 qualifying and the same number Tumilty has introduced into the senior side.

The current squad also has five players, including captain Shaun Murray, playing in Belgium’s top league.

“The challenge is less contact time,” added Tumilty. “It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation to make the players better but I think we are making progress compared to the last three or four years.

“When we saw the draw, we always thought it could go to game five here. Getting across the line against Korea would be significant for the Irish programmes.”

Captain Shaun Murray, who plays with Belgian Hockey League club Gantoise, added: “Korea have a few real stars, some who are a little bit older and have a fantastic penalty corner through Yang. There is no time to look around, we have to be professional and ready for it.”

Ireland forward John McKee added that Korea were “a bit of an unknown”.

“They also have a large aerial threat from the back and that’s something you have to consider," he said.