Postcard from Perth: Dream ended at the shortest of stopovers

POSTCARD FROM PERTH: Amber Barrett of Republic of Ireland and teammates after their side's defeat to Canada. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Perth was meant to be the shortest stopover of the lot on this tour of Australia but not for most of the press pack.

The combo of wind and rain that threatened to dampen the Irish spirits, yet may have aided Katie McCabe’s wondergoal from a corner, caught up with flights, leaving several of the domestic services grounded for all of Thursday.

Luckily, rather than by design, your correspondent was on the redeye that preceded the glut of cancellations, stranding most scribes in the city they least enjoyed for another 24 hours.

Perhaps it was the weather, or the arduous five-and-a-half-hour flight from east to west, but Perth didn’t share the allure of the other stopovers in Brisbane and Sydney. Much of the city, particularly around central station, is under construction with giant hoarding informing of the Transport 3.5m Plan, harnessed by a metro system.

We could experience from similar projects in the other cities how functional this project will become for those in Dublin awaiting a sod to be turned on creating a yard of underground track. Smooth, electrified shuttles from the Airport again magnify the idiocy of not immersing a facility for light rail into the Port Tunnel.

At least the Irish are at the core of constructing the new services, Gaeilige names galore etched on the signage and across the motor fleet stationed at laydown areas.

Two minutes from central station on the corner of St James’ Street lay An Sibin, another unofficial gathering point for fans and families. Abbie Larkin’s crew rocked up on the eve of the match to be welcomed by the Cork native manager, with record goalscorer Olivia O’Toole and her circle of friends from inner city Dublin enjoying the atmosphere and music getting the party going.

The look on Tony O’Donoghue’s face upon hearing that he was only the second most famous person to visit the watering hole - after David Moyes’ West Ham United staff including Kevin Nolan – was a sight to behold.

O’Toole had been among the guests at the latest reception hosted by Irish ambassador Tim Mawe. Similar to Brisbane and Sydney, the Canberra-based diplomat laid on the canapés and bubbly for the guests to mingle with the locals.

FAI President Gerry McAnaney broke the ice from the podium on the rooftop bar on the 16th floor of the QT Hotel by praising the hosts for ensuring familiarity with the inclement weather conditions but pride of place among the speakers was Karen Hennessy.

Evidence of the Irish influence in the city of Perth. 

The Malahide native emigrated over 20 years ago and set up the Women in Sport Western Australia team, a network for female volunteers across the region to share their experiences and challenges. She was appointed a community participation officer of Pibara in January and the vastness of the region can be gleaned by the fact she had a 12-hour drive to Perth for the event and match next day.

Perth Glory’s Rectangular Stadium, replete with its Dalymount Park style quaint terrace behind one end of the goal, staged Ireland’s meeting Canada – just a 20-minute saunter from the Central Business District. For those supporters taking in just one of the three games, this was the easiest to access and reflected by the domination of green at the 20,000-seater upgraded arena. The exposed fan park, constructed in the nick of time, bore the worst of the showers on matchday.

Smarting from another defeat, the Ireland squad were glad to hop on a flight straight after their post-match media duties and head back to their Brisbane base for the last lap. Others planning the same return weren’t so fortunate.