Rachel Graham: Ireland newcomer Mel Filis could free up Denise O'Sullivan

Republic of Ireland newcomer Mel Filis could be the player who could give Denise O'Sullivan more freedom to influence the game in an attacking sense, according to Shelbourne midfielder and former international Rachel Graham.

Charlton Athletic midfielder Filis was the only brand new face in the Girls in Green squad named by new manager Carla Ward last week and has been billed as a front-footed and high energy central operator.

Only time will tell whether Filis makes her debut in Friday's UEFA Women's Nations League opener against Turkey at Tallaght Stadium but her inclusion has intrigued Graham, including how she could impact the role of playmaker O'Sullivan who has sometimes had to play in deeper roles than would be ideal over the years.

"(Filis) plays for Charlton, who are currently fourth in the Championship, so she's at a similar level to a lot of players we do have within the squad, so you can imagine she can find her feet pretty quickly," Graham told this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast.

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"(Ward) has mentioned that she is really hard-working and stuff, but I think I'd say that about all the Ireland players as well to be fair - I don't think that's something that sets her apart completely from all of our other players.

"I think she's very willing to do a lot of running, the dirty side of the game where she'll close players down and be aggressive against players, maybe try and win the ball