MAHER ADMITS SQUAD ALMOST SET AS CUTS FALL
The axe has fallen for the first time at Great Britain’s training camp as Sarah McKay and Kristina Collins were cut from the squad.
With the Canadian-born pair gone, it leaves 16 players now to continue battling it out for the dozen spots in the team that will go to the Olympics in July.
The decision, taken after two weeks of preparation in Surrey, is particularly harsh on 26-year-old McKay, who has battled back from multiple knee surgeries to pursue her dream of playing in the Games.
McKay: out (Action Images/Michael Regan)
However, she was doomed by the form of Temi Fagbenle who has impressed head coach Tom Maher despite sitting out the past year due to academic eligibility issues at Harvard University.
Collins, a junior at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, has yet to win her first cap and was always a long shot to steal a berth.
However Maher admits he has already determined the composition of most of his team for London.
“There’s a couple of spots up for grabs but I’d think the rest wouldn’t change,†the Australian said.
“Because if you’re down to a week before, and you’re still talking about who’s going to be number one or number two, you’re in a lot of trouble. Most of the squad picks itself.
“The heartburn is that nobody wants to devastate somebody else. That’s the hard part. But it’s a confrontation you have to have and it’s part of the job.â€
Maher is expected to drop another two players ahead of Great Britain’s opening friendly against Croatia on June 28.
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