Toland dreaming big as journey comes full circle

The captain's armband is a comfortable fit for Tyler Toland, the 23-year-old Donegal native with an old head on young shoulders.

Blackburn Rovers named Toland as their skipper at the start of the Championship campaign and, though wins have been hard to come by so far, the extra responsibility sits lightly on her shoulders.

If growth comes through adversity, then it's little wonder Toland looks so capable of keeping things in perspective. Certainly she's benefited from settling down at Blackburn.

Toland led a nomadic club existence for a few years and endured a four-year international exile after a well-publicised fallout with Vera Pauw.

Left in the cold, Toland watched the World Cup play-off against Scotland two years ago on TV. Now she's aiming to help the Girls in Green make it to a first ever Women's European Championships as they prepare to take on Wales in a two-legged play-off that kicks off in Cardiff this Friday.

"I think it would mean everything, that's the next step for this squad," Toland said as she pondered the possibility of making it to next summer's tournament in Switzerland.

"Obviously, we had qualified for a major tournament in the World Cup but ever since Eilo has come in, the end goal has been to qualify for the Euros and we have a chance to do that this week.

"There can be bad times, there can be good times, but it is just about sticking at it."

"Wales are a very good team as a whole, we are very similarly matched, have players playing at similar levels, and we know that it is going to be a difficult test for us but we are fully confident that we are capable of doing it."

Toland has packed a lot into her young career. That spat with Pauw was messy, with the player's father becoming involved and the manager claiming she had been subjected to "harassment and intimidation" by the Donegal man over his daughter's absence from the Irish squad. They were claims he vehemently denied.

Toland's career drifted. Manchester City had signed her from Sion Swifts with big hopes she would eventually anchor their midfield, but she lost momentum, moving to Celtic and then Levante in Spain. A 2023 switch to Blackburn, just before Eileen Gleeson recalled her to the Ireland squad, has invigorated the midfielder's career.

Now she could be a key figure in helping the Girls in Green make a second major tournament on the bounce.

"I think football is a game of many emotions," she said. "There can be bad times, there can be good times, but it is just about sticking at it. I think it is important to be thankful for where you are and I am just really thankful to be here today and really excited for the future in the green shirt.

"I was at home, watching (the Scotland play-off) on the TV and it was just unbelievable to see us as a country qualifying for a major tournament like that.

"That is where we want to get to, where we are always expected to qualify for tournaments.

"Obviously now to have the opportunity to be part of the squad qualifying for a major tournament, that is all any girl wants to do, they want to be playing for their country and want to be pulling on the green shirt."

There's a calm maturity about Toland these days. Skippering Blackburn is making her look at the game differently; a nod to her quiet leadership capabilities and strong reading of the game.

"I mean I like to think I do have a mature head," Toland smiled. "I just do my best on and off the pitch to help the team as a whole, think I am really a team player, I would say. I am enjoying it.

"I would say I am a team player, never really want the spotlight to be just on me. Obviously operating from the middle of the pitch helps, I can talk to everyone.

"It's not just about me, it's about the whole team and if I can help the team gain an extra per cent by leading them, that is what I will do."

Watch Wales v Republic of Ireland in the Euro 2025 play-offs on Friday from 6.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to live commentary on 2fm's Game On

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