Mayo camogie stars seeking to deliver on potential in All-Ireland showdown
by Nathan Keane
EXCITEMENT is building for Mayo’s upcoming All-Ireland Junior Camogie Championship final.
Thanks to a semi-final win over Louth, Mayo are set to come up against Monaghan in the decider.
The match takes place tomorrow (Saturday) at 2 p.m. in Pearse Park, Longford.
In the build up to the game, I got in touch with Mayo joint manager Des Joyce and team captain Lisa Scahill to see how the team are preparing for the encounter.
After reflecting on the season so far, Joyce said his charges are very optimistic in the lead-up to the big game.
“Three of the four teams in this competition didn’t have senior teams last year, so a lot of work went on last year to get this competition up and running,” Des explained.
“Myself and Peter Dooley took on the job of managing this team back in December, and got the squad together back in January.
"It’s a small pool in Mayo – we have three senior camogie teams, and they all play in Galway. So we have about 80 or 90 senior players in the county. We now have a squad with 30 players from those three teams.
“We have put in a lot of work in the early part of the year, training over in Bekan. We started off with the league, and that went really well for us.
"We ended up in the final, against Monaghan. Monaghan are a fine team, and we were lucky enough to come away with the win back in April.”
On his team's training and preparation for the game, Des stated: “After the league we were straight back into training for the championship. We’re trying to fit in training sessions between club commitments, both camogie and football.
"We’ve trained in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in recent months, with some time in Bekan as well.
“The training has gone really well. The girls are all busy – they’re in college, they’re working, some of them are away, some of them are local.
"It’s challenging for everybody, but we haven’t let that distract us. The girls are available when they’re available, and when they’re not they’re not. There is a huge commitment from the squad.
“We had a lot of injuries in the championship, and that allowed us to bring in more players and widen the squad. That has ultimately been really, really good.
"We have got everyone back fit now. The girls love their camogie, they are really enthusiastic, and they are anxiously awaiting the final now.”
Mayo played Monaghan in the Division 3B league final earlier this year, a game which the westerners won. Would that victory over Monaghan have any psychological impact on their approach to this match?
“Monaghan are a fine team,” Des began. “They are a very very good team. We probably got a bit of luck in some of those games, so we won’t be complacent.
"We played them in MacHale Park about three weeks ago. It was a very close game – we pulled ahead in the end, but there was nothing in it.
“We know that they will be really strong in the final, and we will hopefully be ready for that.”
Speaking on his squad's mindset leading up to the game, Des remarked: “ It’s great. They are a great bunch of girls. They are all fantastic to work with.
"Some of those girls have played together since they were 10 or 12 years of age. They know each other well, and we have a few new girls in as well. There’s a good buzz about it, as you would expect, when you are in an All-Ireland final.”
Des also mentioned the competition for places in the squad. “We have an abundance of talent,” he said. “Picking the team is going to be no simple task. It’s a good thing to have.”
The manager is encouraging the Mayo public to come out and support the girls.
“I know there is another small game on that day as well! But if you have got some time, and if you are on the route to Dublin, please call in to Pearse Park. We really need as much support as possible.
"The girls will tell you it makes a huge difference when you have voices on the sideline, urging you on, when things are tough in the game. For part of Saturday, if we could get as many people there as possible, we would love to see you there.”
Team captain Lisa Scahill is enjoying the atmosphere leading up to the big game.
“It’s really exciting to be back, to be in another final again after doing well in the league,” he began.
“We are training hard and adding the final touches to be ready to go next weekend. It’s good to be back in a final again, playing Monaghan again. It's going to be an interesting match.”
On the topic of playing Monaghan once more, Lisa said: “Everyone is excited. It’s interesting to be playing them again. We have played against each other a couple of times this year. It is really exciting – that’s the biggest thing.
“You have got to approach every game differently. We have played each other three times this year, and every time it has been a tough battle.
"Similar to ourselves, they are very physical, and they bring a lot to the game. We’ve got used to each other, but I’m looking forward to having a new game with them. Every time we have played them it’s been a different style game.
“It’ll be interesting. We have a really strong panel, with a lot of girls coming back from injuries. Just looking forward to getting going again.”
What will Lisa be saying to her team-mates in the huddle before the game?
“The biggest thing is just ‘work hard’. That is one thing that we always say to each other; that whatever happens we work hard, and that we never give up on any ball.
"That would be the biggest thing that we pride ourselves on – to keep going and work as hard as we possibly can. That’s all you can do.”
Finally, Lisa echoed the words of her manager in calling for support. “It would be great to get as many people as we can at the match. It’s on the way to Dublin, so it’s not out of the way for many people heading to Dublin.
"It’s great to have Mayo camogie in a final. It would be great to see some young girls there supporting us. I would encourage everyone to get up to Longford.”
There you have it. Saturday is a huge day for Mayo Gaelic games in more ways than one.
I was inspired while talking to Des and Lisa, and I would further encourage anyone who can do so to get to Pearse Park, Longford, at 2 p.m. and cheer the girls on in their All-Ireland quest.