The Irish team to face Belgium is yet to be announced, and while not every position on the pitch is guaranteed, one man who will surely be lining out in attack is Shane Long.

We all know where we were when Shane Long coolly swung a right footed shot into the German net last year, to drive our chances of qualifying for the Euros through the ceiling.

And towards the tail end of the Premier League, the former Tipperary GAA star cultivated a rich vein of form, scoring three goals in four games.

And according to Tipp hurler James Woodlock, he's not surprised to see his former teammate thriving at the top level of a professional sport.

Speaking to RTE's Countrywide:

"Shane has serious pace and that allows him to be a great finisher. He has a great ability to leap from the ground which is good for the sport he is in. It is a massive loss that Shane has gone to play soccer he would have been a massive addition to Tipperary hurling."

"We played two Munster finals, one where we beat Cork and another where we lost. We then lost two All-Ireland semi-finals unfortunately."