In a more than decade-long senior international hockey career, Lena Neill has had many a roommate, but she’s especially fond of the one she’s with in Belgium in the build-up to her third World Cup. That said, she concedes her companion is “not a great sleeper”. No complaints, though. Flora, after all, was only born in January, so when you’re that young sleep tends to be the last thing on your mind. Flora is the first child of Neill (née Tice) and her husband Charlie, her arrival bringing no end of joy. Hockey, need it be said, was the furthest thing from her mother’s thoughts at the time of her birth – there was no grand plan about whether or not she would ever return to the sport.“It was definitely ‘wait and see’,” she says. “You just can’t predict how it’s going to be, especially when it’s your first little baby. So I didn’t commit to anything before or after.“There have been so many sportswomen who have shown that it’s possible to come back, but just because it’s possible doesn’t always mean that it’s the right thing to do. I took it week by week, I needed to figure out what was right for us as a family. “My faith is really important to me, so I prayed to God to guide me. And that’s what happened, so I have a lot of peace about it. My body coped really well, things just kind of went my way. I’m very, very grateful, I can thank the Lord for his protection over me in this time and for just giving me this opportunity.”Come June, she was back in the Irish shirt, returning for Pro League duty against Germany in a sweltering Berlin. Rusty?“Definitely, there was a lot of rustiness,” she says with a laugh. “But that was to be expected, I hadn’t played in over a year, so I knew I was quite a bit off. It was frustrating and I’ve had to work through it, but I think slowly, slowly I’ve gotten a little bit better each day. With each training session you get a bit fitter, a bit more agile and then the hockey follows as well. I wouldn’t say I’m where I was, but I’m clawing it all back. I suppose that’s all I can ask for.”It’s a measure of Neill’s importance to this Irish team, a rock in the heart of its defence since her debut in 2015, that coach Gareth Grundie brought her back so swiftly after such a lengthy hiatus. The 28-year-old – a cricket international before she focused on hockey – is one of just three survivors in the current squad from the group that reached the final of the 2018 World Cup. Goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran would have made it four, along with Neill, Roisin Upton and Katie Mullan, if injury hadn’t ruled her out of this World Cup. [ FAI withdraws support for Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s re-election bidOpens in new window ]The elder stateswomen? “I suppose we are, yeah,” Neill says with a smile. “It’s been really lovely to have shared this journey with Roisin and Katie, we’ve been through a lot together, and to be going in to our third World Cup together is really special.”She dismisses any notion, though, that the younger crew are in awe of the trio, who are closing in on a remarkable 600 caps between them, Neill losing count of her own tally (“170-ish?”). “If anything, I’m in awe of them, I’m just clinging on. They’re so gifted, so hard-working, so professional,” she says.“They weren’t there in 2018, but they were all watching. They absorbed that, hopefully it inspired them and has helped them become the players they are now. They were special times we will never forget, but you can’t keep looking back, we need to create some new magic.” Ireland celebrate with their silver medals after the 2018 World Cup final in London. Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas/Getty Images That challenge will start with Sunday’s opening group game against Spain, the 8.30pm (local time) start a little late for Flora. “She’ll be in bed for that – or should be in bed anyway. One of my family will stay with her, but the second game, against New Zealand, is early, so she’ll be there for that, for sure. I definitely want her at as many of our games as possible.“I have so many people helping me, my mom is here and rooming with me and Flora. She’s unbelievable to have given up her time to do it, three weeks is a long time. My husband, my in-laws, they’ve all been brilliant and made this doable for me. “The whole squad have welcomed us both with open arms, they have been so warm towards us, they have made it so much easier. Flora plays a role for us now, she brings a lot of smiles and a lot of joy, like babies do. She even has her own World Cup accreditation, just like the players. I’ll keep that for her – maybe she’ll play in a World Cup herself one day.”