Nicole Owens looks forward to Sunday's clash with Mayo
- Sep 22,2017
“The in-house games take everything out of you and there’s no opportunity to rest on your laurels.”
Nicole Owens has been in tremendous form for the Dubs this season here she speaks to Jackie Cahill as she looks forward to another All Ireland final appearance this time versus Mayo.
NICOLE Owens is enjoying her most consistent season in a Dublin senior shirt.
The 24-year-old St Sylvester’s forward has collected 4-8 in the 2017 championship – and she’s aiming to trouble the scoreboard operator at Croke Park in Sunday’s TG4 All-Ireland senior final against Mayo.
Owens began the campaign with a 2-1 haul when Dublin demolished Laois in Timahoe, before scoring two points in the Leinster final victory over Westmeath.
In the All-Ireland quarter-final against Waterford at Nowlan Park, Owens bagged 1-4 and she added 1-1 when Dublin saw off Kerry in the Thurles semi-final.
Owens admits that her role in the team has evolved to a stage where she’s now stepping up and getting more involved in the creation and conversion of scores.
And Dublin have certainly felt the benefit, with a lovely spread of scorers right across the team to date.
Off the pitch, Owens is an experience designer with Marketing and Advertising specialists, Connector.
She’s been there almost a year now and with Dublin, this is a fifth season involved at senior level for Owens, who featured first in 2012 but took a year out on Erasmus in 2013/14.
Under the tutelage of Mick Bohan, Owens says that she’s enjoying her football immensely – but also paid a generous tribute to the work done by Gregory McGonigle during his three years at the helm.
She says: “Greg did an amazing amount for Dublin in general but maybe it reached a point where something needed to change after losing three finals in a row.
“There comes a time when you need someone fresh with new ideas and he (Bohan) has brought a new approach with a massive focus on skills.
“It’s all of those little things that let us down when it came to the crunch in previous times.
“It’s nothing concrete on an individual level, it’s more a team level and the way we play and set up.
“Obviously, we’re given personal feedback along the way but the emphasis is more on the team as a whole, and I’ve enjoyed playing under him.”
And Owens says that in-house training matches have sharpened the players for their big assignments along the way, with players competing for places in the starting 15 and matchday squads.
She explains: “The intensity has been rising and rising ever since the League.
“The in-house games take everything out of you and there’s no opportunity to rest on your laurels.”
On April 22, Dublin lost their Lidl National League Division 1 semi-final to Cork, who would win the competition.
But Bohan used the nine weeks between League and championship superbly well – and looked a vastly-improved outfit when the serious business got underway.
Owens agrees: “It really stood to us – we were able to work on specific things every week, and schedule challenge matches as management wanted.
“But we’re up against a very strong team on Sunday. Mayo looked very good in the semi-final and beat Cork, who had not been beaten in quite a while in the championship.
“We’re looking forward to playing them – it’s always a really intense, up and down game when we play Mayo.
“This is our fourth final in a row at Croke Park and we’re used to the build-up, the weeks leading up to it and that might stand to us a little bit.”
*******
To buy tickets for the TG4 All Ireland Final online simply click on WWW.TICKETS.IE
Tickets cost €25 for adults and €10 for Students/OAP’s/ Under 14’s
Tickets are on sale also from usual GAA outlets such as Centra & Supervalu
The GAA ticket offices located on Gills Corner and Dorset Street will be open for business on Sunday from 10am.