Ireland 'hungrier than ever' says Katie McCabe with Euros spot in sight

EURO DREAMING: Katie McCabe during a Republic of Ireland women training session at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Apportion it to nervous energy but Katie McCabe was channelling her heightened sensitivities into one-liners.

On the eve of a decider with Wales for a berth at next summer’s Euros, the Arsenal schemer was in the mood to muscle in on some questions directed towards her manager.

She had begun the press conference with an unprompted view of seriousness in the Lansdowne Road room. Evidently, she was of a mind to inject a semblance of levity.

Take her interjections on these queries posed to Eileen Gleeson.

“When Vera Pauw managed ahead of the last playoff in Scotland, she didn’t practice penalties…” Fastest fingers first, McCabe was out of the traps…”But Vera is not the manager.”

Another factual killer arrived when the manager was asked if she’d replicated the Welsh gesture after the first leg of staff swapping Christmas presents.

“It’s not Christmas yet,” remarked McCabe, parking any festive spirit.

And then her reaction to Gleeson’s emphasis on the science of a penalty shootout. “Geek.” Whether either boss was mildly offended or not by her observations, this was a reminder of it being Katie time.

Ireland’s world-class duo of McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan will be 34 and 35 by the time of the next Euros in 2029. The opportunity to complement the World Cup appearance of two years ago with a first Euros is now.

“We are probably hungrier than ever,” she said.

“Years ago, we used to talk about if we could get there. We are here now and need to embrace that challenge and enjoy the pressure of it. I always say that pressure is a privilege.”

Wales are still the team that Ireland were, craving for that tournament breakthrough.

They’ve had one previous playoff, losing to Switzerland in 2022. Ireland were part of that series too, emerging from Hampden Park through Amber Barrett’s winner to seal a place at last year’s showpiece in Australia.

Heartbreak had been their calling card, missing out on Euro 2009 by losing to Iceland in a playoff and then the playoff entirely by a calamitous own-goal and missed McCabe penalty in Ukraine during the emptiness of the 2020 pandemic.

“We went through the upset of Ukraine a few years back,” noted the skipper. “We learnt from it and grew.

“Next was the euphoria of beating Scotland to make the World Cup. From a players’ point of view, for us as a team and a nation, we have wanted to put ourselves in this situation and position and this is our third play-off scenario.

“Leading up the World Cup play-offs, creating a legacy was massive. From the matches in Dublin and Cork, girls are following us everywhere because they look up to us as role models. To show them we’ve reached the World Cup and the Euros is an amazing feeling.”

They’ve to smother the dragons’ roar first. Everything that’s emerged from the Welsh camp since Friday’s drawn first leg, be in direct or implied, has spoken of a discontent with the Irish.

From the ‘tennis-match’ duel which manager Rhian Wilkinson bemoaned her team getting dragged into, to the ‘you ain’t seen nothing yet’ battle-cry from captain Angharad James, Wales feel the game is there for the taking.

As we reported ahead of the first leg, Welsh players kept with the memory of a late McCabe tackle from the February friendly.

A spat on Friday between two experienced campaigners, Ireland’s Ruesha Littlejohn and Welsh legend Jess Fishlock, underlined a degree of needle between a group of players who have, or do, play alongside, or, against each other at club level.

That friction apparent in Cardiff has potential to overspill when the realisation of contrasting fortunes in 2025 is so close.

This Cup final, billed as a Celtic derby, could descend into a demolition derby.

“They were cheap shots more than anything,” said Arsenal regular McCabe when asked about the Welsh aggression.

“I don’t mind going toe-to-toe with someone in a tackle but ones off the ball I’m like, ‘Come on…’ “Look, whatever game Wales wants to play, we’ll be prepared for it.

“We know what we have to do tomorrow – what’s on the line and what’s at stake. We’ll be ready to leave it all out there tomorrow.” For club and country, McCabe has done it, whereas some of her teammates will be sampling a new frontier.

“The beauty of team sports is you’re standing as a team and not alone,” she said ahead of her 93rd cap.

“We’ll be standing with our home crowd of at least 25,000 as well and the country that will be watching us from home.

“It’s important to share those experiences with the younger players - let them know it’s okay to feel nervous and excited. Maybe feel the pressure a little bit. We are human.

"All through the camp we feel calm. And what calmness brings is clarity in terms of what our gameplan will be. That’s what we can control, along with the non-negotiable of our work ethic. This will be incredible.” It only will be if McCabe and Co add another one-liner to their chronicles.