Jamie Finn's World Cup dream on the brink of coming true, but star is well aware of the task ahead 

If Ireland were able to stifle Sweden in a 1-1 draw and topple Finland on the road during the main qualifiers, performing a job on either Austria or Scotland is within their gift.

DREAM: Jamie Finn during a Republic of Ireland Women media day at Castleknock Hotel in Dublin. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

A dearth of top-flight players – or at least regulars operating at that level – isn’t a problem for Irish football confined to the men’s team.

The squeeze amid global competition to feature in the increasingly rich English Super League manifests in an Irish hue at Championship level, both male and female.