For as long as die-hard supporters of this League can remember there has been an annual debate over whether home-based players should be included in the Republic of Ireland men's senior team squad. Now the quibbling can stop...at least for a while.
For as long as die-hard supporters of this League can remember there has been an annual debate over whether home-based players should be included in the Republic of Ireland men's senior team squad. Now the quibbling can stop...at least for a while.
The call-ups of Bohemians goalkeeper and Shamrock Rovers forward Graham Burke to Martin O'Neill's roster for the friendly games against France and United States represent a giant step forward for the SSE Airtricity League.
Yet caution should be issued as these are friendly games designed for the international manager to assess players. And it should be noted that the current Ireland squad is missing a lot of players through injury.
But that should not take away from the fact that Supple and Burke are both fine players. They each had their own experiences in England as young players, but have matured and developed into better professionals following their return home. Could a dose of home comforts actually be a remedy to cure a wayward player's ills?
The platform to audition in front of the Ireland manager - and amongst international players plying their trade at a higher level - does not come around often for League players. Although Supple and Burke should simply go and enjoy the experience as they have nothing to lose but all to gain from meeting up with O'Neill's squad.
It is a credit to O'Neill that he has called on the duo. Since taking charge of the Ireland team, O'Neill has continually paid attention to the League by attending more games, doing promotional events, calling up players (Dundalk's Gary Rogers, Andy Boyle and Daryl Horgan were all included in previous squads, while Cork City's Mark McNulty and Alan Smith trained with them), and speaking positively about the League in the media whenever asked.
Even listen to his interview on Greatest League In The World podcast and hear how genuine he is about the League. He doesn't view it as being on par with the English Premier League or top half Championship, but he is not dismissive of it either. In fact, he wants it to succeed and for players to stand up and catch his eye in games.
Whether Supple and Burke can break the long wait for a League player to be capped again (Joe Gamble was the last one in 2007), it remains to be seen. But the real success story here is the endorsement of the League from the Ireland manager. Few of his predecessors even acknowledged that it existed, so this latest interaction is most welcome.
Listen to Martin O'Neill speaking about the domestic game on Greatest League In The World
