LAST YEAR’S ALL-IRELAND collapse has given Dublin a new focus as they look to break Cork’s stranglehold on Ladies Gaelic football.
The Dubs have never won the National Football League title but they are the only unbeaten side in Division 1 and a win against Tyrone this weekend would guarantee their place in the semi-finals with a game to spare.
“In previous years we looked at the league to trial everybody and get going,” captain Sinead Goldrick told TheScore.ie, “but this year we were going out to win each game as it comes.
“We’ve got a lot of fresh blood in with new players and the old, experienced players coming back so there’s a really good mix there. After the preparation of previous years, we were ready to take the league very seriously this year.”
Dublin are under new management with Gregory McGonigle, the man who led Monaghan to the All-Ireland final in 2011 and again last year, taking charge this season.
McGonigle’s Monaghan were just edged out on both occasions by a Cork side who have steamrolled their way to eight of the last nine titles.
But it is last year’s quarter-final, where the Reblettes came from nine points down with 20 minutes left to stun Dublin, that stings in the capital.
“Everyone just froze,” Goldrick said.
“I think we learned a lot from that match. I’ve never been so disappointed. We played them two years before that and they had beaten us by a point so when we were up by nine, we had the ability to take it over the line.
“For the players on the pitch, we had to look at each and see what went wrong. A few months after the match we did take a look back at it but I think that will give us the motivation going into this year to learn from our mistakes.
“Even the new players who have come in, it’s just in the back of everyone’s minds that it won’t happen again.
When you have a nine-point lead, there’s nobody else to blame. Cork got on top and the points just kept ticking over. It was really hard to take and really hard to handle, and it does hurt you to the day when you think about it.
Dublin’s new management have stepped up preparations not only in terms of their league focus but also when it comes to gym sessions and the number of pre-season challenge matches they played.
And Goldrick is hopeful that the county board’s sponsorship deal with AIG, which brings the men’s and women’s teams together under one umbrella, will help to up their profile.
“Even wearing the same jersey as the men has given us a boost. It really has motivated us a lot more and when you’re training that much, you just want a little bit of recognition.
“The profile is definitely improving but I do think there’s a lot more can be done.”
Dublin ladies football captain and GAA All-star Sinead Goldrick was on hand today to launch Under Armour’s new footwear innovation Speedform Apollo.
The Dublin ladies captain promoted the game changing running shoe that is part of Under Armour’s ongoing dedication to continually innovate and help make athletes better. Available from Lifestyle Sports Dundrum or online at www.UnderArmour.com
Wife? 21? Really?
The wags are getting them locked down young
When I was 21 I was blowing shit up in the microwave ala Ian Henderson in a student house
Anthony Martial is married with two kids at 19. She knew…
Coutinho been married since he was 19 too I believe.
Check her out, she’s an absolute lasher. I’d be wifing that at 21 as well.
Image of Bale
Let’s hope he will be as good as Bale !
They say supposedly there’s around 7 people in the world who look exactly like you..
Yip. Lucky enough that mine is Ryan Gosling
:D
He’d make more money as an impersonator
Or even league one. Being on the books at a top prem club then going to league two is a massive drop down
And probably offers us an insight into the actual level that this fella is at. He’s not going to league 2 for any other reason than he didn’t have any other options. He might rebound in a few years but I’ve a feeling that looking like Bale will be as close to a top footballer that he may ever be and I mean that as no slight against him, the odds of making it at the top level of football are in the high millions.
Jamie Vardy. ….
Surely he could have been picked up by a championship club rather than having to drop down to league 2
Why would that be?
You would think that. But here we are.
And york city are in last place
Plot twist, Kenny is actually playing for Madrid and Bale is off to the metropolis of York.
So it was Kenny who got Wales to euro 2016!!!
Give him time, Alan Judge was in a similar situation when Blackburn. Now PL teams are interested in signing him.
Hope ha can play like bale