At one point between television interviews in UCD’s 1,400-seater stadium yesterday, Vera Pauw took a time-out.
She wiped her eyes as she walked with an FAI official towards the centre-circle, took a swig from a bottle of water, composed herself and returned to face the cameras for more questions about her World Cup squad selection.
The emotional strain of the previous couple of days - and a lack of sleep - had taken its toll on Ireland’s battle-hardened manager.
You see, Pauw can be very Dutch at times. She’s a straight-talker and pragmatic.
She is also resilient. Some of the horrors and tribulations that she has overcome during her decorated career as a player and a manager would have knocked the love of the game out of many of us.
But there is also an emotional edge to Pauw that is very Irish, and it’s a trait that has helped the 60-year-old forge a strong connection with her adopted country.
Between that, a first World Cup qualification and a style of play that can sometimes divide opinion, there’s more than a whiff of Big Jack to this trailblazer.
That connection is set to be cemented with a contract extension, which will run until the end of the Euro 2025 campaign.
Pauw had been conscious in the build-up to yesterday’s announcement to deflect questions regarding emotions around her decision-making.
As tough as it was for her to deliver the bad news, the real heartache lay with those who didn’t make the cut.
It had to take its toll. Carrying not only the weight of her own emotional burden, but that of the 10 devastated players, Pauw needed a moment yesterday to let it out.
Then, with a deep breath and a shrug of her shoulders, it was back to business.
Pauw spoke of the “worst day” of her career, of “breaking dreams” and of tears that were shed.
But she is paid to make the hard decisions and she believes that in the 23 players heading to Australia, she has got the most balanced group of players she has ever worked with.
That’s saying something, considering that she took her home country, the Netherlands, to the semi-finals of the 2009 European Championships.
“This team is so balanced, every position there are two players, so we know exactly if this player cannot play or runs out, that player comes in and gives the balance,” said Pauw.
“The balance is so good, I’ve never had that before in a team that I’ve coached.”
Any team?
“Any team. There was not that balance that we have now.
“We first discussed it (the squad selection) with Katie (McCabe) before we went into the talks (with the players that were cut). She said ‘woah’.
“Of course we showed her in the roles and positions.
“Hard work pays off, but the harsh decisions are the worst that you have to make.
“We have a balanced team going forward. Touch wood that we don’t get injuries.
“I’m proud of where we are now. There is so much variety without losing our structure.”
She spoke highly of the players that didn’t make it, players such as Liverpool striker Leanne Kiernan, who recovered too late from her ankle injury.
“Unfortunately for her, the time is just too short to be at a level that the demands of the World Cup, and we know what those demands are, to meet them,” she said.
“Of course, she could make a run but football is more than that run.”
For Aoife Mannion and Megan Campbell, time had also run out.
“We only have this week of training and then we go to the France game (next Thursday) and then we recover from jet lag, so the last week we cannot build on fitness,” she added.
“If it had been in Europe, we would have been able to build on fitness.
“You will see in Australia that we are going to do very different things. For example, we will start by playing 11-a-side on a very small pitch.
“That has nothing to do with our preparation for the games. It is only to do with getting over jet lag in a proper, sensible, safe way. We will not build fitness in Australia.”
Pauw paid tribute to those who didn’t make it for their reactions to the news.
“Actually they were very strong. Of course they were devastated and of course angry also. Especially the ones that were hardest to decide,” she said.
“A few knew it. They felt it, they knew it, they see around themselves. So that’s absolutely fine. They have composed themselves.
“I am so proud of them. It actually touched us more, the composure and professionalism of those players with all the pain that they feel.”
While the news was crushing for some, for others there was unexpected joy.
Few would have put Izzy Atkinson in the frame when Pauw, earlier this month, named 29 players for her training camp.
West Ham full-back Atkinson wasn’t included and was added later.
Celtic defender Claire O’Riordan’s sole appearance in qualification was away to Slovakia last September, but her late-season club form and goalscoring display against Zambia last week sealed her spot.
“With Izzy we always said we all know we has everything to be a super football player. But tactically the penny had to drop,” explained Pauw.
“And the pressure of a World Cup makes players step up, it means players are so focused and concentrated on teamwork, because that is what makes the difference.
“We say already for months, maybe for years, if only the penny drops.”
Pauw referenced a moment in the Zambia game when Atkinson held back instead of making a forward run, and rather than being caught up-field she was in the right place to deal with a ball over the top.
“That shows maturity in the game, that shows insight,” she said.
There was no shortage of insight into the selection process that led to yesterday’s announcement, with Pauw and her technical staff pouring over videos late into Monday night and again on Tuesday morning before signing off on their final-23.
After retiring to their bedrooms at 1am, they were back together again at 8am, when they “reinforced our decisions even further and confirmed them.”
She added: “It’s not just discussions, it’s video, what she (each player) brings, video again, discussing, next player and that went on for half a year.
“When it comes to the final decision it’s the very little details and the player deserves that.
“They must feel that everything has been taken into account. They deserve to know that you didn’t leave a stone unturned.”
