Pauw has 'good hopes' as O'Sullivan returns to training

Republic of Ireland manager Vera Pauw says there's "really good hopes" Denise O'Sullivan will be fit enough to face Australia in Thursday's mammoth World Cup group opener.

O'Sullivan sustained a painful shin injury during last Friday's controversial behind-closed-doors game against Colombia, which was abandoned after 20 minutes.

The Cork midfielder had been in a protective boot but that's been removed and she returned to some very light training at Meakin Park in Brisbane on Monday.

Pauw said O'Sullivan remains in a race against time to make it, but her recovery timeline is on track and there are genuine hopes she'll line up at the Accor Stadium in Sydney in three days' time.

"We had the boot on to calm things down, that is the key thing," said Pauw.

"It is not because she cannot walk but to calm it down. We will see this afternoon her stability and then we will see if she can run.

"We don’t know [if Thursday will come too soon]. I would tell you but we don’t know."

When asked what Ireland's medical team had said about O'Sullivan's chances, Pauw replied: "That there is really good hopes and Denise herself says there is really good hopes.

"It is going according to what we hoped would happen, so it is the same [as on Saturday].

"Denise is fit, she is extremely fit, that helps. From there, we see what step is next and what step is next, but it is about, can she handle it? Then we build up to the match."

It's been a rollercoaster week for the Irish players Down Under.

Having enjoyed a relaxed open training session last Wednesday, they became engulfed in a big fallout with Colombia.

Pauw said the players "feared for their bodies" when explaining the decision to walk off the field. On Sunday, media outlet AS Colombia released footage of