How that reflects in medals it is difficult to predict – four to six should be considered a good return – the increase in top eight finishes, finalists and personal bests will be a stronger barometer of the achievement of the team.
Under the guidance of John Conlan the 13-strong boxing squad (nine men and four women) carry the weight of a nation on their shoulders. Three gold and two silver medals in Delhi and three gold, two silver and five bronze in Glasgow saw Northern Ireland literally punch above their weight.
So, whether they like it or not, they will be expected to produce strong performances despite missing Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan who have now turned professional.
Steven Donnelly, Michaela Walsh and Alanna Nihell all won medals at Glasgow four years ago and are perfectly capable of doing so again while Brendan Irvine, James McGivern and Kurt Walker represent the next generation of local fighters looking to make their mark on the international scene and where better to start than at Gold Coast.
David Calvert continues to defy time and will take part in shooting at his 11th Games and it would be no surprise to see him add to his tally of four gold and four bronze medals while multiple Commonwealth medallist Neil Booth coaches a strong men’s bowling team.
There are future sporting starts to look out for too, all with aspirations of competing at the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020.
