Ireland v Georgia: Three things to watch

After England it’s hard to get up for a friendly against Georgia on home turf but the presence of one Wes Hoolahan and the return of Richard Dunne should be enough the keep the fans interested.

The opportunity Wes have been cravin’

The inclusion of Wes Hoolahan doesn’t seem as big a deal as it should be considering that there are only two survivors from the starting line-up at Wembley, but it is he who will be the focus of most attention from Irish fans tomorrow evening.

Trap’s excuse that he didn’t have the physical attributes to play against England was a bit of an insult considering he plays against those players on a weekly basis but tellingly, it was perhaps a sign that Trap is still wary of throwing him into the fray when the pressure is at its most intense.

In his brief outings so far, Hoolahan has shown that he’s not easily affected by an occasion or whoever the opposition might be and in tandem with the ever improving and increasingly influential James McCarthy, he’ll be keen to show that the Irish midfield are capable of playing in an alternative style to the one favoured by Trap since he took over.

How much we can read into Hoolahan’s performance depends on the quality of the opposition but hopefully it’s the start of more frequent forays in an Irish shirt than he has enjoyed to date.

Richie returns

No matter what the score is or if there’s an out of this world goal scored by a player in green tomorrow, the loudest cheer at the Aviva will be reserved for the return of Richard Dunne, who hasn’t pulled on an Ireland jersey in almost a year since the debacle at the Euros last summer. And boy, have we missed him.

Only time will tell if Dunne will come back as the player who acted as a quite formidable rock at the heart of the Irish defence for so long because such a lengthy absence at his age – Dunne turns 34 in September – may well have had a debilitating effect on the Dubliner, or, on the other hand, the break and the benefits gained from his rehabilitation could give him a new lease a life and see him add a couple of years to the distinguished career he's had to date.

Great to have you back Richie, but easy on those left foot volleys now y'hear?

Although Dunne is in search of a new club, a half an hour in a fairly meaningless friendly against Georgia isn’t going to convince potential suitors to sign him on the spot, but if it goes to plan it will give him the confidence to know that he can play for Ireland again and the rapturous reception he’ll receive when coming on can only be good for his self-esteem.

Welcome back Richie, you’ve been sorely missed.

Don’t get used to this back four in a hurry

In years to come, the identity of the back four in action against Georgia tomorrow - Paul McShane, Richard Keogh, Damien Delaney and Marc Wilson - might end up as a particularly difficult question because it’s fairly safe to say that it will be the first and probably last time they play together as a unit in an international game.

That’s nothing against the individuals in question, they’re all in the squad on merit, but barring Marc Wilson at left-back, every one of them has at least one player ahead of them in the pecking order in the position they’ll take up against Georgia tomorrow.

Saying that, Trap has a history of taking players from relative obscurity – Paul Green, Sean St. Ledger, for example – and turning them into important members of the squad and games like tomorrow’s one are more important to the venerable Italian than one might think, so there’s definitely an opportunity there.

Still, will this back four ever play together for Ireland again? We wouldn’t bet on it.