Ladies’ Football
Tubridy hopes to get hands on trophy and banish 2009 agony
BY DAIRE WALSH
AFTER finally banishing the painful memories of a semi-final defeat in 2009, St Paul’s captain Aine Tubridy is aiming to go a step further at Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday.
The Belfast side will face down the formidable challenge of Offaly and Leinster champions Naomh Ciaran as they look to claim the All-Ireland intermediate club football title.
Tubridy, Mairead Cooper and Kirsty McGuinness are the three survivors from the team that lost to eventual national champions, Brian Boru’s of Tipperary, 10 years ago.
Having experienced what it was like to be on the other side of the coin, Tubridy admitted she felt some sympathy for St Nathy’s following their narrow victory at the expense of the Sligo women in the last four.
“I was just saying to the opposition [Naomh Ciaran’s Amy Gavin Mangan] there, we were in the same position 10 years ago,” Tubridy said at a Captain’s Day in Croke Park on Monday.
“We were in the All-Ireland semi-final and got beaten.
“Just the three of us started in that team. After the game we didn’t know whether to cry or to celebrate because it was mixed emotions.
“We felt for St Nathy’s big time because it was the same result for us getting beat by a point 10 years ago. To get to the final is just amazing this year.”
While St Paul’s have continued to dominate the county scene – they secured an eighth consecutive senior championship earlier this year – they had to wait a full decade before adding another provincial crown to their roll of honours.
Tubridy feels competing in the second-tier of Ulster football has been highly beneficial for a young squad, who she can can go from strength to strength in 2020 and beyond.
“I feel that dropping to the intermediate has definitely counted. Obviously we were in senior and maybe it was just one step too much for us.
“This year, the idea behind it was to hopefully do well in Ulster here and that would leave us a wee bit of momentum going into senior next year.”
St Paul’s and Naomh Ciaran were initially set to do battle as part of a double-header in Dublin’s Parnell Park this weekend, until a change in circumstances led to it becoming a standalone fixture in Cavan.
Tubridy has no qualms about the venue change and is, in fact, hoping to captain her club to a second All-Ireland win at Breffni Park.
“It’s no difference to us, to be honest. It’s a wee bit special as well,” she said.
“The last time we were in an All-Ireland, U14 Féile, I was captain and we won it there.
“When that was announced I was actually a wee bit happy that it was in Cavan.
“A lot of the girls would have been on the U14 panel as well. I know we were 14 but even just memories of that pitch… we’ve been there before. I know the pitch is big but that will probably suit us.”