New Ireland hockey captain Sarah Hawkshaw hoping to follow example of inspirational skipper Katie Mullan who was always 'doing the right thing for the entire group'
New Hockey Ireland captain Sarah Hawkshaw has praised the job done by predecessor Katie Mullan, who was always “doing the right thing for the entire group” after being confirmed in her new role ahead of this weekend’s franchise tournament.
Coleraine’s Mullan served as Irish skipper for eight years and has already collected over 230 caps during a successful international career, but relinquished armband responsibilities last month, leaving the role vacant until now.
Dubliner Hawkshaw was part of the Ireland team that created history by reaching the Tokyo Olympics, which were staged in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now wants to follow Mullan’s example with sights set on the Los Angles Games in four years time.
"It's obviously a huge honour,” said the 29-year-old. “It came with a lot of thought.
"Gareth (Grundie, Ireland Women's Head Coach) believed in me and made that known. So it gave me a lot of comfort in accepting the role.
"While I am a new captain, I have experienced lots of different cultures of captaincy at club level and during my time in the USA. I think on the international side I've had eight years with Katie Mullan as captain and she was also my captain when we were both in the Under-18 international team.
"You could always see that she was doing the right thing for the entire group. I've been watching her blossom into the role of captain. The whole team feels reflected through her and I will be able to ask her advice and have her example of what went before as I build in the role myself in helping Gareth advance the National team towards the goals of FIH Pro League qualification and the next World Cup and Olympics.
"It's all about getting the best out of people and to achieve that, you have to make them feel confident in different situations. If I can even play a small part in that, then that's my job done.
"I want everyone in the squad to feel empowered and that they belong. Belonging has always been a strong aspect of the Irish team, and we have a great group of leaders in this team.
"Lena Neill , Hannah McLoughlin and Róisín Upton will be sitting beside me. We will need to draw on all of that leadership going into a busy 2025 and not only next year, indeed the next four years leading up to L.A.”