They say in sport it’s all about the final result. Did you win or lose? In my view that’s just part of the story. Sport is a journey for players, mentors, coaches, supporters, volunteers and parents. And this season has been a rollercoaster of a journey where this team has transitioned from self-doubt to self-belief, from fear to confidence and from average football to high quality football. They now believe they can mix it with the best and win. Similar to the O Dwyer game this was daylight robbery, and I still cannot comprehend how the game turned after leading 9 points with twelve minutes left on the clock.  I think tiredness caught us in the end. Three subs we had were used to replace injured players and then we were cut to 14 for last 10 minutes with a yellow card that was harsh in the extreme. The lights in the Naul are not great to begin with but when the ref called a “pull” from 50 yards away in the semi dark and gave a penalty and a card we were in big trouble. Alas this was a case of history repeating itself for the third time in recent weeks. 

Should a yellow card make a difference? I consulted with my new guru, ChatGPT (Google on speed) and this was her answer; 

And Be gods miss know-all was dead on…in the last 12 minutes the score went from 3-11 to 1-08 to 3-11 to 3-12, that’s a swing of 10 points! Strange things happen when there is a full moon and I did notice the Clan Mhuire players doing a moon dance at half time. Sport is oh so feckin cruel but why is it so cruel to us lately. Winning is a habit, and this team just needs to get over the line in these tight games and then the sky is the limit. E.g. Armagh. Credit to Clann Mhuire they took every chance and landed some difficult frees in the last few minutes. 

The BSJ ladies played some fantastic football, and this was a cracker of a second half that felt like it lasted about 2 hours. My late arrival coincided with BSJ taking the lead and scoring a goal and a few points. My theory is that any team performs better when they know a photographer is present. Despite missing a few players this team continued where it left off against O Dwyer’s playing exceptionally high skilled football. They had the confidence to keep kicking accurately into space for the forward line. This tactic creates opportunities, and the forwards were loving it. The defence was it usual dependable self with high wall like qualities. Grace Lynch stepped into the goal keeper role and did a fantastic job. A multi talented lady. Overall, the standard of play from both sides was in leaving parlance a H1. It was a joy to watch. Each part of the jigsaw that is the team were united and the sum of the parts is greater than the individual parts. In the words of WB Yeats “the dance became more than the dancers”. That’s the sign of a well-coached team. 

I had a quick look at the team selection for the Lucan game last year’s championship season and I am thinking there are about 8 new players on the team. That’s a lot and the investment in these players will be rewarded next season. Playing at this level takes time and the high pressure of the last ten minutes when victory is within reach is a skill that comes with playing time at this level. I look forward to next year’s league and championship. Overall, it’s been a great summer of ladies Gaelic football, and I look forward to our last League game of the season.

Well done to the coaches and volunteers who support this team. The amount of selfless volunteerism is incredible from mentors to physio to video setter up to scorekeeper to flag and net collector!  Paul and Bernard respect. THANKS to Michael, Chris, Laim, Nora and the physio for the night David. Alas Niall the regular physio was on domestic duty at home as his wife is expecting a baby. If it’s a girl we will be signing her up for championship 2042!!!

 Photos by Alain Barr and Jimmy Fearon  https://adobe.ly/3BkGdqg