Trap: Duff and Hunt focused

DAMIEN DUFF and Stephen Hunt were among some of the bigger names who trained with an unusually lean Irish squad at the home of St Michael’s FC in Tipperary yesterday – lean because some 10 members of the panel for next Wednesday’s game against Australia in Limerick were otherwise engaged with their clubs.

Keiren Westwood, John O’Shea, Darron Gibson, Kevin Kilbane, Caleb Folan, Richard Dunne, Shay Given, Aiden McGeady, Robbie Keane and Leon Best - who is now apparently rated doubtful after Coventry City’s 2-1 win over Ipswich yesterday - were the absentees but, with the obvious exception of Best, all were expected to link up with the squad overnight.

The rather more pressing question in relation to Newcastle’s Duff and Reading’s Hunt was whether both would remain with their respective clubs for very much longer, but Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni was at pains to stress neither player appeared fazed by the rumour and speculation linking them with moves to the Premier League.