Inside Track with John McIntyre

THE temptation to slip away immediately after the final whistle in Thurles last Saturday evening was avoided. I may have nothing to do with the Athenry camogie team bar reporting on their journey to All-Ireland glory, but it was hard to avoid getting caught up in their magnificent triumph.

Your instinct was to hang around and show respect for what Dervla Higgins and company had just achieved. Their fighting spirit alone was extraordinary and the scenes of joy on the Semple Stadium surface were richly deserved. Athenry were prepared to work like dogs to be crowned All-Ireland champions.

In her victory speech, Higgins said many of the usual things that a winning captain does, but she also paid a warm tribute to their late teammate Kate Moran, who died tragically on the camogie fields in April of 2022. She was their hidden inspiration.

Midway through the second-half, however, Athenry’s goose looked cooked. They had gone from being four points up to falling four behind and St Finbarr’s had wrestled control of the replay after being under the cosh for much of the opening 30-plus minutes. The Cork girls had a spring in the step, and the Galway champions couldn’t catch a break.

Kildare referee Brian Kearney was not endearing himself to Athenry either and, even for us neutrals, a few of his decisions against the women in maroon were on the harsh side. Joe Rabbitte’s team had been digging themselves out of big holes this season, but they were in dire straits with barely quarter of an hour remaining.

In times of crisis, some teams just disintegrate. Others, like Athenry, are prepared to look deep into their souls and find reserves of energy and commitment to salvage the situation. And they had no shortage of players who were willing to push themselves to the limit and beyond.

Goalkeeper Laura Freeney was one of them; wing back Lisa Casserly was another; the tireless Kerri O’Driscoll also didn’t go hiding, while Clodagh Burke was leaving her difficulties from the drawn final far behind with an outstanding contribution. And what about those great servants, Therese Donohue and Jessica Gill.

They both owe the club nothing but if Saturday represented the swansong on their respective careers, what a way to bow out. Donohue is just a force of nature, while Gill’s strength under the dropping ball is a critical commodity at this level. The durable Kate Screene and teenager Sinéad Feeney were others prepared to lay their bodies on the line.

Making the occasion more memorable for team boss Rabbitte was the fact his daughters, Olwen and Sabina, were both so critical to Athenry’s momentous victory. It’s never easy for a manager to be impartial if he has family involved on the playing field, but when it all works out, there is surely no better feeling.

I don’t know how Olwen defied her cruciate injury, but she clearly possesses a wonderfully positive mindset and a fair bit of stubbornness to go with it, while Sabina had to overcome a foot injury sustained in the drawn final. Those Rabbittes are made of stern stuff.

Furthermore, Joe Rabbitte has clearly done a good job in covering all bases of preparations. He surrounded himself with good men like Gort’s Padraig Linnane, current Galway star Padraic Mannion, Enda Gannon, Cormac Ward, Kevin Quigley, Tony Hough and Pat Higgins.

Later Saturday night, I was talking about Athenry’s success with my niece Clodagh, the Tipperary camogie player, and I asked her what it was like being marked by Dervla Higgins? She replied along that lines that it was akin to being “hit by a bus”. No surprise really given that her father Pat harried opponents to a standstill when hurling for Athenry.

Former Galway great PJ Molloy, who gave so much to Athenry camogie over the years, would have been overjoyed at the club’s Thurles triumph, while backroom team members Cathy Dillon, Veronica and Stephen Gaughran, and Moira Coen, all contributed to a memorable voyage. Congrats to all.

Pictured: Athenry’s Sinéad Feeney loses her hurley but not the ball against Nicole Olden of St. Finbarr’s in the All-Ireland Club Senior Camogie Final at Semple Stadium on Saturday evening. Photo: INPHO/Ryan Byrne.