Dublin derby rivals confirmed for Ireland duty - Supple and Burke become boys in green

Bohemians goalkeeper Shane Supple will look stop Shamrock Rovers’ Graham Burke in the Dublin Derby at Dalymount Park on Friday night.

Come the weekend though and the two players will be putting their club rivalry aside as they are travel to Paris as part of Martin O’Neill’s Republic of Ireland squad.

Both SSE Airtricity League players have received their first senior call up – along with former St. Patrick’s Athletic keeper Conor O’Malley – for Ireland’s upcoming friendlies away to France on Monday night and at home to United States on Saturday June 2nd.

The FAI have confirmed that both Burke and Supple “will balance training and matches with their respective clubs with international duty.”

On the eve of the USA game, Bohs play in Limerick while Rovers take on Dundalk in Tallaght.

Burke got some game time with the Boys in Green against Celtic in last Sunday’s Scott Brown testimonial. Across four days he played three matches.

He lined out for Shamrock Rovers in their scoreless draw Sligo last Saturday night, for Ireland in Glasgow on Sunday afternoon before having an influential role in Rovers’ 3-0 win last Tuesday night over St. Patrick’s Athletic.

Hoops head coach Stephen Bradley, speaking to extratime.ie, noted about Burke: “he’s taken it all in his stride. Whether it’s Sligo, Celtic, Tallaght or his back garden, he just wants to play.”

Supple meanwhile was in action last Friday night against Dundalk in Dalymount Park in front of Ireland boss Martin O’Neill in a match which the Lilywhites won 2-0 over the Gypsies.

Supple is well known to the Ireland management staff after previously worked under Roy Keane at Ipswich Town.



When Bohs boss Keith Long rang Supple to tell him about the call up, the 31-year-old thought his manager was joking.

“When I got the call off Keith to say the email had come, I told him to stop taking the Mick but he sent it on to me then and it was real,” said Supple to the Irish Sun.

Millwall midfielder Shaun Williams, who along with Burke and O’Malley lined out in last weekend’s Ireland XI team in Glasgow, also receives his first senior call up.

It is a 26-man squad that O’Neill has named with omissions due to injury being Darren Randolph (groin), Keiren Westwood (groin), Kieran O'Hara (ankle), Ciaran Clark (knee) and Sean Maguire (hamstring). Meanwhile, Callum Robinson is still awaiting his international clearance.

Defender John O'Shea will link up with the squad ahead of the USA game.

Republic of Ireland squad in full:



Goalkeepers: Colin Doyle (Bradford City), Conor O'Malley (Peterborough United), Shane Supple (Bohemians).

Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Greg Cunningham (Preston North End), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), John Egan (Brentford), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion), Kevin Long (Burnley), Darragh Lenihan (Blackburn Rovers), John O'Shea (Sunderland), Declan Rice (West Ham United), Enda Stevens (Sheffield United), Derrick Williams (Blackburn Rovers).

Midfielders: Harry Arter (Bournemouth), Alan Browne (Preston North End), Jeff Hendrick (Burnley), Daryl Horgan (Preston North End), James McClean (West Bromwich Albion), David Meyler (Hull City), Callum O'Dowda (Bristol City), Eunan O'Kane (Leeds United), Shaun Williams (Millwall).

Forwards: Graham Burke (Shamrock Rovers), Shane Long (Southampton), Jonathan Walters (Burnley).

    About Macdara Ferris

    Macdara Ferris is a contributor since 2007 to Hoops Scene (Shamrock Rovers' match day programme) and is the co-author of two books on Shamrock Rovers - 'Tallaght Time: Shamrock Rovers 2009 to 2012' (with Karl … View Full Profile