Denise O'Sullivan says her Ireland teammates have tried on numerous occasions to explain to her the convoluted playoff system in place for the 2023 World Cup, but each time she's simply had to switch off.
O'Sullivan scored the winner for Ireland in their final group stage game in Slovakia on Tuesday, cementing their place in the playoff by earning a bye to the second round. However, the road ahead may yet be long. The next steps will be Friday's draw for the playoffs, and then the second round game on October 11th.
"We probably overachieved, to be honest," says O'Sullivan, speaking on Wednesday at the launch of the European Week of Sport 2022.
"After that [Finland] game, the energy in the stadium and the Irish fans getting behind us, you could really feel it and I've never felt like that before in Tallaght Stadium. I think making that playoff for the first time and having fans and family there at the final whistle was a memorable one.
"We were all pretty confident that we could come second in this qualifying campaign. To skip that first round, and go straight to a playoff final, is probably something that we didn't even think could happen.
"We also didn't think the playoffs would be like this, going through, possibly, another four to five games, even if we win the next game. Getting to the playoff is absolutely amazing but even if we win that game we might have to go through another tournament in New Zealand. It’s crazy to me.
"The playoff system is really confusing and still don't really understand it. The girls have tried to explain it 100 times and I just have to completely switch off from it.
"The focus for us is the game on October 11. It's going to be the biggest game of our lives as players. It's a really exciting time. I think [qualification is] something we do deserve. Now is the time to make it happen."
6 September 2022; Denise O'Sullivan, right, and Katie McCabe of Republic of Ireland celebrate after the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Qualifier match between Slovakia and Republic of Ireland at National Training Centre in Senec, Slovakia. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
The midfielder says one of the most important factors for this Ireland team has been their "togetherness off the pitch".
"I think that really stands to us," she says.
"Especially in the second half yesterday, Slovakia just came out to kick us, and break up the game. For us, we just had to stick together, keep working hard. There were some dangerous tackles. It's easy to get carried away, and freak out.
"We were warned before the game to not get any yellow cards! It was very important, as a team, that we just kept our heads. We kept control of the game, we didn't lose it.
"We kept really level-headed. We've shown that maturity last night to close it out, even though it was a pretty dirty second half. It was just important to close that game out, and get the three points.
"In this campaign, we've been closer as a team than we've ever been before. That really has been a huge part of our success.
"For myself, I've been friends and teammates with some of these girls for 10 - 15 years. We went through a lot of highs together, went through a lot of lows - probably more lows and heartbreaks than anything. That has brought us really close. Not making the Euros, I think we all felt that heartache together. It did bring us closer as a team.
"We have a good time off the pitch, a lot of jokes, a lot of laughs. It definitely shows on the pitch how hard we do work for each other, and how much we do care about each other.
"Players are just growing, individually. We have really good young players. As you've seen with Jess Ziu last night. The game she had, you wouldn't think she's 20-years-old. Heather Payne just never stops running in games. We have that mix of technically good players, and players who will work really hard."
THERE IT IS!
Denise O'Sullivan with the finish after a break by Jess Ziu left Heather Payne with the chance to cutback to the in-form midfielder#rtesoccer #SVKIRL
📺 Watch - https://t.co/aR8cFzAlWf
📻 Listen - https://t.co/pKRq9dYQiN
📱 Updates - https://t.co/TYLVoUyJ72 pic.twitter.com/0ZryFNcvZu— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) September 6, 2022
O'Sullivan's thoughts now return to club football with North Carolina Courage.
"I have a flight at 4:45pm today," she says.
"So, I've got to go straight to the airport from here. I have a game on Saturday. Then after that I have five games between now and September 30th. It's game after game, midweek games, weekend games.
"I would say it's a lot. Six games in two-and-a-half weeks is a lot. For me, being part of the Courage for the last six years, I'm the type of player that the coach keeps in the game so I usually play for 90 minutes in every single game.
"They might manage [it] hopefully, and take me off for a few minutes at the end of games. They're pretty good at that but it is a lot of load. But for me, I love playing games, it's what I thrive on. I'd rather play games every few days than train.
"In the back of my mind, I know I'm going to come in super fit. I already feel fit now in these games but having these games coming up is really important to get my match sharpness even better."
See Also: Vera Pauw Proud Of How Far Ireland Have Come After Finishing Group In Style
