LIKE many Irish people of her generation, one of Katie McCabe’s best friends is living Down Under.
Only this isn’t just any regular pal as it’s former Mayo GAA sharpshooter Sarah Rowe.
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In addition to her Gaelic football and now AFLW exploits, Rowe is a former Ireland soccer international which is how she and McCabe are close.
The Arsenal ace previously visited her during a mid-season break around the turn of the year.
This time around it’s more of a business trip as she’s part of a 19-strong Gunners squad that will play an exhibition at Melbourne’s 53k capacity Marvel Stadium.
The money-spinning friendly has presented McCabe and Ireland head coach Eileen Gleeson with a logistical nightmare ahead of the home Euro 2025 qualifier vs Sweden on May 31.
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Speaking at Wednesday’s squad announcement, Gleeson detailed how they have devised a sleep schedule for her return home which will hopefully minimise her jetlag.
She confirmed that her captain will not join the squad until next Tuesday.
Gleeson said: “She’ll come in a little bit later. We’ll allow her to have rest post the flight.
“She flies back into London Sunday so probably won’t join us until Tuesday.
“We’ve a very detailed recovery and sleep strategy. We’ve brought in sleep experts and worked with Arsenal on that.
“It was very detailed. We’ve been planning for it for a long time. We’ll prioritise sleep and rest off the flight.
“Player scheduling, game scheduling is a huge talking point – FifPro, Uefa, Fifa.
“Calendar clashes, calendar loading. All of those topics are always being discussed.
“For us, we have to keep the focus on the game and we have to manage the situation and make sure that we can have Katie well rested, well recovered and have her ready for us for the Aviva.”
While McCabe comes in, Gleeson must plan without the injured Niamh Fahey, Heather Payne, Jamie Finn, Chloe Mustaki and Tara O’Hanlon.
Gleeson revealed O’Hanlon’s hamstring issue is a long-term one and she will not return to action for another 16 to 20 weeks.
But she had better news about Denise O’Sullivan who suffered a knee injury in club action for North Carolina Courage recently but is deemed fit enough to join the squad.
Gleeson added: “I’m feeling very positive now. Obviously when these things happen it’s very concerning.
“The injury is a lot more minor than initially thought – at the most a Grade 1 MCL knee injury.
“Denise is in good form, she’s looking forward to coming in, we’re feeling very positive that she will be available for us.”
