Galway’s camogie Queen reigns supreme at last!
IT has been one of the longest coronations – and she may even, at times, have lost faith that it would ever happen – but in the end, The Queen, as Galway camogie great Therese Maher is fondly known, finally got to take her rightful place on the throne.
It would have been a travesty if Athenry stalwart Maher, who has been a leading light for both club and county for almost two decades, had to see out her days without the opportunity to lay her hands on the O’Duffy Cup.
No state secret, this meant the world to Maher and when her team-mates and management descended upon her in the moments following the Tribeswomen’s 1-9 to 0-7 victory over Kilkenny, briefly, all the wrongs in the world were put right. This was justice.
Her smile said it all and while, underneath the relief she was experiencing must have been delightfully enveloping the years of hurt and disappointment that had tormented her from those five previous All-Ireland defeats, Maher continued to maintain that composure, regal reserve and dignity that has won the hearts of all in Galway camogie and further afield.
“With any given year, you have to believe you are going to win. I don’t think there is any point coming back up here [to Croke Park] if you don’t believe that you are going to win, irrespective of the team that you are playing and that is no disrespect to them,” said Maher.
“We were defeated early on in the championship by Kilkenny but it was the first game. Then, game after game after game, you kind of build momentum and we believed we were going to win today. I know it wasn’t a classic out there but I didn’t mind if it was two points to one or five points to two, we wanted a win and we needed to win for Galway camogie. We got a double here today and we are just thrilled.”
When asked what was the difference between this team and the others that had agonisingly lost All-Ireland finals previously, Maher agreed with the sentiments expressed by captain Lorraine Ryan that this victory was borne out of great friendships.
“Both senior and intermediate teams, we got on great. When we were training, we were serious and we trained hard, but outside of that we had the fun as well. Our focus was on each game.
“It wasn’t about the bigger picture: the All-Ireland final. It was game on game and today we were focused on this as being another game, albeit it was an All-Ireland final, but we were just taking it as another step in the ladder to get the medal that we have been looking to win for so long.”
Another who had waited a life-time for that elusive O’Duffy Cup win was Sinead Cahalan. A lot like Maher, she had experienced her fair share of disappointment and regret. “I still can’t believe this; that we are actually after winning it. It is just everything we felt when we lost has been turned on the complete other side and made it all worthwhile. I am just so happy and so delighted for everyone.”
She, too, maintained the friendships and the advantage of having both seniors and intermediates train together were pivotal to Galway’s successes and she also paid tribute to Tony Ward and his management team of trainer Liam Hodgins and selectors Declan Walsh, Orla Watson and Seamie Crowe.
“It was great to have the panel matches with the two teams, particularly as the intermediates were very competitive as well. It was a great incentive for them to be pushing on to make the senior panel or the senior team. It worked well.
“In fairness to the management, you have to take your hat off to them because it was an unbelievable challenge to try to accommodate and cater for 53 girls and look after them and make sure that they were injury free and had hurls and everything. It was endless. They must be so exhausted.”
In any event, the proverbial monkey is off the back of Galway camogie now. “Exactly,” glowed Cahalan. “That is exactly how it feels. I couldn’t have taken another loss. The monkey is off the back now and we can retire or do whatever we want to do at this stage. Some of us aren’t able for much more. All we ever wanted was one All-Ireland and it is magic. It’s just great. Such a feeling!”
One of the striking things about this All-Ireland senior win was the unity of purpose between the older and younger players – a balance that can be so difficult to achieve – but centre-half forward Niamh McGrath, one of the younger players, said it was never an issue.
For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.