Hockey: Jamie Carr happy to look after No 1 after Harte transplant

The opportunity is less about replacing a legend and more about embracing the responsibility, Carr says.

LAST LINE: Ireland’s Jamie Carr. Pic: INPHO/Frank Uijlenbroek

Jamie Carr had been in no rush to ask for Ireland's number one jersey but, with the FIH Hockey World Cup looming, the time just felt right.

Although he has close to 100 caps and has European Championships and Pro League experience, Carr had been waiting for his opportunity to be the main man between the posts at international level for more than a decade.

But Ireland had a colossus in nets in David Harte. The Corkman was Ireland's last line of defence for almost 20 years, one of the best players the country has produced, and it wasn't until after the 2024 Olympics that Harte decided to retire at 37.

The opportunity, as Carr sees it, is less about replacing a legend and more about embracing the responsibility that comes with being the established first choice netminder.

While he kept his customary number two jersey up until now, the biggest tournament of his career felt like the right time ask for the change up.

After winning their qualification tournament in Chile at the start of the year, Ireland's return to the World Cup finals for the first time in eight years starts with a daunting encounter with Australia on Sunday.

“Well, I've been the number one keeper for a while, but I've just kept my number two because it doesn't really interest me that much,” said Carr, who has played the majority of internationals since Paris 2024.

"It just kind of came out of the blue. I just said, 'you know, is it possible to wear number one?' And they said, 'yeah'.

"But again, it didn't really bother me in the last few tournaments. It didn't bother me in the Pro League. It didn't really matter. I've been in the squad for 12, nearly 13 years now. It's just more symbolic than anything.

“Playing regularly, it just comes with a different weight of responsibility. Before, you're always waiting for your opportunity, and there's massive pressure to seize those few opportunities that you get to perform when you need to.

“Now it's about can you maintain a level of consistency at a constant basis against any quality of opposition?” 

And now the 30-year-old is looking over his shoulder. Luke Roleston is the man with the number two jersey, awaiting his time to shine, and he will also get game time during the finals as he continues to develop, while Luke Milliken is also in the mix.

“There's always a healthy competition there,” Carr said. “But it's necessary because it pushes us to get better, and we can't stay comfortable because others are waiting for their chance, like I waited for mine."

After the disappointment of missing out on the finals in India in 2023, finally reaching the tournament carries an emotional weight for Carr and his team-mates.

“This and the Olympics are the pinnacle of our sport,” he said. “So it's been a lifelong dream of mine and a lifelong dream of most of the guys who haven't already played in the World Cup to make this tournament.

“To have so much heartbreak on the back of it makes this go around extra special."

So it's the fourth-ranked team in the world up first in the Belgian city of Wavre before fixtures against South Africa (ranked 12th) and Spain (ranked sixth). Carr believes there is merit in facing such a formidable opponent straight away for 10th-ranked Ireland, before the tournament has settled into a rhythm.

“If you had to choose, you'd like to play them first,” he stated. “I think we have the team now that's able to go out and score goals, but also defend, which is an interesting combination,” he said.

That defensive improvement has been forged through two years of Pro League competition against the world's best. Playing regularly against elite opposition has exposed Ireland and forced them to improve.

“You get punished severely when you're not on the top of your game defensively by these top teams,” Carr said. “If you slip up at all, they'll punish you with no mercy.” 

Carr has spent the past six seasons playing in Belgium. He initially resisted moving abroad before finishing university, despite receiving offers - with a wry smile he admits that leaving education unfinished could mean never returning.

He eventually joined Leuven, spending four years there before moving to Gantoise, where he has spent the past two seasons.

Belgium has become home but Carr will have family and friends in the stands, with his father and sister travelling over from home and his girlfriend able to make the one hour drive from Antwerp, where they live.

"That was something that I always wanted to do," said Carr, of his move abroad. "I wanted to go play at the highest level, and it exists here in Belgium, and also in Holland and in Germany."