Martha Byrne chats to Jackie Cahill ahead of Sundays Final
- Sep 20,2017
“We’ll give Mayo respect but it doesn’t matter who’s put in front of us, we’ll approach the game looking at our side of things.”
Martha Byrne chats to Jackie Cahill ahead of this Sunday’s All-Ireland final showdown with Mayo.
IT’S been a while coming for Martha Byrne is ready for her first taste of a TG4 All-Ireland senior final on the field of play.
Back in 2014, Byrne was taken off in the first half of the semi-final victory over Galway, and wasn’t used in the narrow final loss to Cork.
She missed the summer of 2015, opting for a summer trip to the United States, and didn’t feature in last year’s defeat to Cork.
But Cuala defender Byrne has been an ever-present in Mick Bohan’s championship team during the 2017 season – and she’s tipped to fill one of the corner back positions against Mayo at Croke Park.
A high achiever on and off the field of play, 23-year-old Byrne is the proud holder of two All-Ireland U21 medals in 2014 and 2015.
Next January, she will return to UCD to begin a Masters in dietetics, having previously completed an undergraduate course in science, majoring in physiology.
Byrne’s first season at senior level culminated in defeat to Cork at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage and during her career to date, the Rebelettes have been very much a Sky Blue nemesis.
But now it’s Mayo providing stern opposition for Dublin as they go in search of a first All-Ireland senior crown since 2010.
Byrne will operate in a defence looking to keep tabs on the likes of Cora Staunton, Sarah Rowe and the Kelly sisters, Niamh and Grace.
But she’s confident that Dublin have the personnel to cope with the green and red threat, considering the calibre of player she marks in training.
Byrne explains: “You’d look at who you’re marking in other counties, and trying to prepare yourself for them.
“The in-house matches are brilliant and we’ve had more of them this year than previous years. They’re brilliant – really good practice.
“We’ll give Mayo respect but it doesn’t matter who’s put in front of us, we’ll approach the game looking at our side of things.
“I started all the games until now but the way the selection process is, you play based on how you do in training.
“It’s blown wide open again so everyone has to play well to play in the final.”
It’s been a memorable season for the Cuala club, with the hurlers winning the All-Ireland club title while Michael Fitzsimons and Con O’Callaghan started in Dublin’s All-Ireland final win against Mayo last Sunday.
Byrne says that there are two camogie teams in Cuala “for the first time in a long time” and she was a real linchpin for the ladies’ junior footballers who were recently crowned county champions.
Byrne could bring another All-Ireland medal back to the club on Sunday and while Mick Bohan has received plenty of plaudits for the work he’s put in since taking charge, she says that his predecessor, Gregory McGonigle, also played a key role.
“Greg put in unbelievable ground-work, was with us for three years and got us to a place where Dublin hadn’t been for years,” she says.
“Mick came in with a fresh voice and different ways of doing things but they’ve to be equally thanked for the position we’re in now.
“We take each year as a different year but both have to be thanked for where we find ourselves now.”
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Tickets for Sunday’s game are on sale now from tickets.ie, usual GAA ticket outlets and on the day from GAA ticket vans located near the stadium.