Declan Drake on Dublin Ladies
- Feb 03,2014
By DECLAN DRAKE (FM104)
A New Year always brings with it a fresh hope infectious enthusiasm and no shortage of ambition as plans are made towards the successful achievement of a goals and aspirations. For the Dublin ladies footballers all of the above is very much the case for 2014. The build up to the new season which starts tomorrow with a Tesco Home Grown National League Division 1 tie with Monaghan has been dominated by off the field activities prior to the end of last year. Firstly came the announcement of the sponsorship deal with AIG which meant for the first time the ladies would be "united" with their male counterparts under the one sponsorship agreement. Such news is welcome from the perspective that the extensive marketing and promotion arm of the insurance giant can be used to bring the game of ladies football in the city forward significantly.
The other part of the equation was the appointment of a new manager in Greg McGonigle the man who last year took Monaghan all the way to the All- Ireland final only to lose narrowly to the all-conquering Cork. His appointment to the Leinster Champions hot seat sees the county board move outside the county in an attempt to ultimately claim what would only be Dublin’s second All Ireland title. When the blues won their sole crown to date what was 4 years ago now it was a Donegal native Gerry Mc Gill who orchestrated the success. Everybody connected with the ladies game in the capital hopes McGonigle can match that achievement in his debut year at the helm.
McGonigle’s appointment has also meant a fresh backroom management team have joined to work alongside the Monaghan night club owner. Fintan O’Curry a man who has worked extensively with the cream of the counties underage players with some notable success over the last number of years makes the step up to the senior set up as selector. The role he plays in bringing through the very best of the talent to be competitive within the senior ranks cannot be underestimated. O’Curry may have been ultimately a candidate for the position himself, such a potential development will have to wait a while longer as he plays a support role to Greg McGonigle. The Dublin goalkeepers in the squad for 2014 will have a new coach in Liam Swift while Kathleen Colreavy from Naomh Mearnog who has served the county so brilliantly over the last number of years will be the female liaison officer.
2013 in terms of the league for Dublin was very much a mixed bag victories over Meath Laois and Tyrone were recorded while on the debit side of the equation Donegal Cork and Mayo claimed the blues scalp. The championship saw another Leinster crown secured with a win over Meath in Carlow before the ill-fated clash with Cork in the All-Ireland quarter final saw the dream die for another year.
It certainly was an interesting year both on and off the park with initially an interim manager appointed in Paul Gilheaney (later confirmed for the year) and the controversy surrounding former All Stars Denise Masterson and Siobhan Mc Grath both of whom returned to the county panel having been left out by the previous management.
This is a huge year for Dublin ladies football at senior level. One statistic stands out above all others. Since the Martina Farrell led team won their first provincial crown back in 2002 only one All Ireland success has been recorded that in 2010 which was at their 4th attempt in a final. That is something that needs to change how close we would have got last year we will never know. What you would have to say is that it at least should have been a semi-final appearance as a minimum. The only way to look now is forward and approach a new set of challenges with renewed hope and optimism. There is no doubting the quality Dublin had at their disposal in all sectors of the park, it’s very much about finding the right formula and making sure it all knits well together to be at the business end of the season strong and ready to strike for glory.
This article was published in the Allianz NFL Dublin v Match program Sat 1st of February