Hockey international O'Brien cheers on brothers at Ireland's cricket success

It's already been an unforgettable sporting year for the O'Brien family, with Niall and Kevin playing starring roles in Ireland's cricketing odyssey in the Caribbean, and now sister Ciara, a hockey international with over 100 caps, is hoping to maintain the momentum through the summer, culminating at the European Championships in August.

O'Brien is a key member of the squad being assembled by Gene Muller, the South African who was appointed national women's coach last year following the resignation of Riet Kuper, who had been eight years in the job.

If Muller can have a similar impact on Irish women's hockey as his fellow South African Adrian (Adi) Birrell has had with the men's cricket team then O'Brien, for one, will be more than satisfied. "We're just so proud of Niall and Kevin," said O'Brien, who was in Jamaica with her parents for the group stage of the World Cup.

"They - and the whole squad - put so much work in to it all and deserved everything they achieved. I was thrilled, too, for Adi because I know what he has done for Irish cricket the last four years, so for him to take Ireland to this level was fantastic."

O'Brien was fortunate enough to have been present when Ireland beat Pakistan, a day that will live long in her memory. "And it was St. Patrick's Day too – how perfect is that?! Ah, it was just amazing – nobody gave them a chance, but they just went out with the attitude that they had nothing to lose, and they rose to the occasion."

And nobody, for that matter, will give the Irish hockey team a chance of achieving the top three finish they need at the European Championships if they are to qualify automatically for the 2008 Olympic Games.

"We'll have to take inspiration from the cricket team, nothing is impossible. The great thing for us, though, is that we have lots of new, young players who are fearless, and who probably aren't familiar with some of the big names we'll come up against, and that can really help."

O'Brien, who played with Chelmsford in the English Premier League this season, is enjoying life in the new Muller regime, and is encouraged by the quality of the young players he has brought in to the squad. "You always wonder how long it will take young players to adapt to senior international hockey but this group looks like they've been playing at that level all their lives. They've been fantastic, really refreshing, and they've just helped make everyone so enthusiastic."

"Our ultimate dream is to qualify for the Olympic Games and Gene just told us the best time to do it is now. Not in another four years, now. That's the kind of attitude the cricket team had, so we'll try to follow their lead."