Eposode 5: Rena Buckley

I'm joined again this week again by Sarah O'Donovan, for a very special episode as we welcome 18 time All-Ireland winnerRena Buckley onto the pod to talk about her amazing career. She discusses the highs and the lows, of her career, and also talks about her biggest regret. We also talk about equality in the GAA and what needs to be done to make it better. Rena also shares the three wins that mean the most to her and which defeats hurt the most. She also gives the best players she played against and with throughout her career.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

And you're very welcome back to the Talk of Komogi podcast. We have a very special episode this week. I joined once again the co-host Tara Donovan back on the show. Pod. Tara, you're very welcome back. Thanks, Joe. And we have as I said, we have a special, very special episode this week. We were joined by one of the greatest players to ever play the game, I suppose. And not just Komoge, but also football. And former teammate of yours says there, we call Komogi, of course, winner of 18 all-arelands altogether, which is a remarkable record when you think about it. It's doubled six times. I think she won like seven all Ireland between 2005 and 2017. She retired in 2018, played in 22 finals altogether. I think she only lost four of them altogether, all in Camogie. She won three league titles, two Ashburn Cubs, five Camogie All-Stars, and also four county titles and two Munster clubs were a club. So welcome Rena Buckley to the show. Rena, you're very welcome.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Hi Sarah, how are you?

SPEAKER_02 0:59

We're great. We're really good. This is week five of the talking um talking comoge podcast, Rena.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

I was gonna if I I was thinking if I want you all your accomplishments in your career, we'd probably take off the whole pod talking about your accomplishments and what you in your career. So I said I'd just give some of them anyway for now. Well we start off when you were young, young like and growing up. Who were the biggest like influences on you uh back then and who would have met most influence in your career like if you're tempted got older?

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Yeah, so I suppose like just going uh you know, everybody's childhood is different than all that, but I suppose for me, like I didn't I wasn't born into traditional GA house. I wasn't dragged to every match as a a three or a five-year-old. In fact, like I remember being, I don't know, what age I was, maybe a little bit older than that, and begging to go to games and actually not getting to go to games because there was no kind of culture of that in our house, in our household at the time. So I have an older brother, Jory, so he was the he was the man who got into GA really from the get-go, and he he became you know, he loved it, like so. He was the one who introduced GA into our house, so he definitely would have been a massive influence on me as a as an underage, you know, as a as a as a child growing up, I suppose, and in in my early part of my career. So he definitely was one. The second one I think as a real young player would have been our principal in school. So again, like like many players, you know, I played whatever sports were on in school, and that was hurling comoge in football, and that was the extent of it, really. But it was taken extremely seriously. And in Cork, we have a competition called the Skeener Skull Competition. I'm sure Sarah is well aware of it, but the Skeen of Skull is as important to you know to a 10 or 12-year-old as as an all-arn finalist to a 25-year-old. It's taken very seriously, and I suppose it in in our day was on in in Park Equives, so it was a huge, huge event. And and and you know, I was very lucky that our our school took took GA very seriously, and that was a brilliant, brilliant start to get. So I suppose those two people had massive influences on over me as a child. And then I suppose as I as I got a little bit older within the club, I suppose I was very lucky in that I come from Inascara Komogi Club and Dunamore ladies' football clubs, so that we had players, and when I was growing up, we had players in our clubs who were representing CARK. So I suppose I was able to identify from a young age, you know, these players are they're neighbours of mine. We I know who they are, I know where they're from, I know what house they live in, and they're doing something that I'd love to do. And you know, I had the opportunity to meet them and follow them to their big games. And without a doubt, those players, you know, in time as I got a bit a little bit older, then I got to play with them, and you know, I got to to watch how they prepare, how they how they live their lives, how they're live how they live their lives outside of Camoge or football or whatever it was. And those players, the likes of Irene O'Keefe or Juliet Morphe, would have had huge influences on me then as a kind of a as a teenager, and you know, I'm I'm really grateful that I I was given those opportunities.

SPEAKER_00 4:20

Yeah, and look, as you say, WTS started off young at the club anyway. You said playing football for the club Dunamore at 14, like so obviously that won't happen nowadays. Just for something I'm wondering, do you agree with that that they got rid of that and you have to be out of minor out to play that play senior level now, even at the club? Would you agree with that rule new rule coming in?

SPEAKER_01 4:42

Yeah, so I I I'm I'm actually not is it that you have to be is it that you have to be 17 years of age? I think it is, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 4:48

That's it, yeah. Yeah, 17, yeah, that's it.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

17 years of age, yeah. So it's funny, it's you know, attitudes I I know attitudes have have swung an off a lot. So just my own personal story. So when I was under 14, I was you know a decent under-14 player, and I suppose Inascara would have asked my parents, would I play a senior club camoe? And they said they said, No, she's too young, you know, she's fair enough. And the the management said that's grand. And then Dunamore came to my parents as well, kind of during the summer, and my parents had the same answer, sorry, she's a bit young. But Dunamore came back to her three times. So my parents cracked under the pressure, and I ended up playing senior club football that year. So that was so basically Dunamore were a bit tighter for numbers, I think, that year, and that's how that kind of penned out. So I suppose look when I look back in it now, sure. I suppose like look, personally, for me, I I used to do a lot of athletics as an underage player. So from a physical point of view, the game probably wasn't as physical as it is now. So physically, I was fine. I I wasn't under pressure from a physical point of view playing playing at that level. But there's no doubt about it, I was absolutely green as grass. So from a like an emotional point of view or you know, a social point of view, I was miles, miles behind that, behind that. No, I I would think that you know I was very lucky those two teams had really good people involved and good management, so they were a really good influence over me as a person in terms of my development. So I don't have any regrets at all. You know, I got on fine physically from a social and emotional point of view. I was it was a definitely a definitely a help to me in my development. But I mean, the game has changed, players have definitely become more powerful, and maybe not everybody would have had the same level of physical conditioning going into playing at senior level as I as I had at that time. So I I think it would be a I don't think it would be the the right thing for most players to do, to be honest. Probably being out of under 16, I think, is is is okay, is an okay rule to bring in across the board. But there probably is 16 roles that are that are well able to play up at at at adult level. But look, if you're trying to protect the majority, being out of under 16 is probably the the correct decision, and I don't I don't really have any issues with that.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

Yeah, and look, get on to your career record. Like you made your debut, I think, for the footballers in 20 or 2003, and then a year later you made your debut at the cmogee team. Like when you first broke through at the Kamogi panel like senior, what how were you feeling like at that stage? Would you be nervous coming into the Jesse Loop and that, or were you alright with coming in at that stage?

SPEAKER_01 7:30

Yeah, so I suppose I I broke onto the football team earlier, but that was really to do with the standard of football in the county at the time, and like it was I won't lie, it was much, much easier to break onto the football team, and it wasn't a big deal at all. Yeah, everyone my age was being brought up, like you know, it was the team wasn't going very well, it wasn't very prestigious to be to be joining the the senior football team at the time. But to join the senior Komoge team was a totally different kettle of fish. The minute you walked in, you realised this was much more serious. John Considerine was the trainer, so John Cancelline would have had a reputation, and the girls that I was joining the dress room with, like, they were players that I would have gotten to see play on a on a regular enough basis, like you know, and they were heroes, they're people I'd gotten autographs off. So it was a much bigger occasion for me to join that, to join the Cox Senior Komogi team. And one of my outstanding memories from the first couple of sessions is I used to be going training with um a teammate of mine from the club, Geraldine Casey. And Geraldine Casey used to be at the time was very good friends with Rachel Maloney. So I used to be pucking with Rachel Maloney a bit, and my god, would she drive the ball at you? And I used to be thinking, What have I done wrong here? That Rachel Maloney is driving the ball at me like this. But like I realized after a while it was nothing to do with me. This was just the way that Cork seniors trained. They didn't just tippy-tappy around having the chats, like you know, there were you know, there was a bit of a bite to training, and you know, it was it was just a it was I suppose hurling at a different level, at a different pace. And cheekers, I I absolutely loved it, I really, really enjoyed it. It was something I kind of always wanted to do, and I I I I thought it was brilliant. I loved it.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

And look, I suppose it didn't take long for the success to start coming at well, football and cloaky, like you kind of came on and you're part of two superb teams I can vote in. Um like obviously Sarah was Sarah, this few as well. You were a teammate of Rena's as well. So, like how as a teammate of her, what how did you find her playing with her and all that?

SPEAKER_02 9:32

So Rena was part of a crew with Breed, Elena Reardon. The girls were two years younger than than us, Rena, would that have been right? Yeah, and I think we were we were all kind of coming into the setup together. They were freshening up the setup kind of oh five anyway. When I came into it, and John Cronin had taken over, and we'd come through with John with the minors, and we'd have won a minor all Ireland. So Emir Dillon would have been my club teammate and Jen Brown and and Killette Desmond from from school and stuff. And looking back, we were all desperately young. You know, that's that's what sticks out to me now. We were you're obviously 17 yourself and Breach. We were just out of secondary school, 19. We were all demanding to be played. Which is mad now when you think about it, when you look at the the pathways for say the senior hurlers now and the senior Kamoge players in the last couple of years, how they've had to bide their time. And there's been a real kind of sense that if you go into a cork panel now, it could take two, three, four years to to bed in and make a name for yourself. But we were all looking to get in on the back of winning county championships the pre the previous year, thinking we were going to just roll into our respective spots, and that must have been very surprising for the girls who'd been in the cork setup for so many years. And I think that's what I remember now. Would you agree, Rina? We we kind of went in there with a sense that we should be playing because we were playing, you know, and winning county championships both sides of the coin.

SPEAKER_01 11:12

Yeah, so I think it was an exciting time in Cork for Camoge in that in the club championships, I think the younger players were definitely putting it up to the experienced players, so like there definitely was an element of that, and probably the team selections did reflect a lot of it. Like there was a shake-up, and it was just a transitional time, and there was good players coming through. So, like that's what you want your young players to be thinking as well at the same time. But yeah, like it was a funny old time. Like, and I I definitely would say I was an absolute child joining it, and again, socially and emotionally, probably green as grass, like you know. Like, I remember I I played my first All-Erland final, and it was I was in leaving cert in the first week of leaving cert done type of thing, and the the the match was on in September, obviously, and I remember a photographer from The Echo came into school taking my photo. Anyway, lost we lost the final to Tipperary anyway. And like I suppose I I'd be interested in school, like school would have been important to me, not to the point that I'd have been skipping training to do schoolwork or anything, but definitely was on my radar to you know to do a good leaving cert and all this. So I have a twin sister, and I remember after losing the the All Ireland, my sister said to me, Yeah, that was a bit of a pity, but like yeah, you know, yeah, you'll win sometime soon, probably. And like it would have ruined the leaving cert with all the celebrating you'd have had to do if you'd won it. Like so you're yeah. So I kind of said, Yeah, you know, you're right, you're right, sure. Hopefully next year, like and we can't. And looking back now, like what a naive and childish kind of outlook to have. But sure, look, that was the age we were.

SPEAKER_02 12:50

Like, I mean we were f we were we were all very green, and we were all like, you know, I as I said, I was only two years older than you, Rina, and it was all our first experience of a high performance unit. Do you know what I mean? And and what that meant then, it was actually quite I suppose it it was very different to what we were used to training, you know, in our clubs. And I suppose the preparation even the amount of sleep I was getting and the amount of you know, the the nutrition pieces were completely lost on me. I I had no idea how my body operated, I just knew that it kept going, do you know? So I suppose in hindsight it would have been lovely to have all of the information that the the players have now, wouldn't it? It it would have really guided us, like it would have made us better players out and out. As good as you were. Like I I know there wasn't those extra percentages that we definitely lost out on because we just didn't know, we weren't informed.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

Like absolutely, yeah. But I mean, look, it was the same across the board. I mean, yeah, we weren't different to anyone else. You know, I I think what we were doing in Gark was as good as anywhere else. And yeah, we had we definitely had when like at that around that time, we definitely had a kind of winning attitude about us, which is here, that's half the battle, really, to be honest.

SPEAKER_00 14:08

And like as you said, you won so many all islands, you missed that 18. The only all-ireland defeat you had between two sports were all in Camoge, like and I've heard players say before, like hurlers and all that, they remember the defeats more than maybe the victory sometimes, because maybe it hurts a little bit more. Would you go along with that, or would you uh turn the wins the more important like because you say like the defeat hurt and it lingers longer when you after losing it, say an all-irling final?

SPEAKER_01 14:33

There's probably a couple of sore points, alright. Yeah, yeah. There's a couple of ones like that. There's the ones we just about lost and maybe didn't perform that uh you know 2007 would stick out there as being one lasted, like we were a very, very good team. Probably didn't perform on the day, but like you have to give it to Wexford, like they were they were very good on the day, they did perform.

SPEAKER_02 14:58

So, like in no way they lost that game by a point, Rena.

unknown 15:01

Do you know?

SPEAKER_01 15:02

Because at one point, yeah, yeah. There is I'd be one of the crew that probably didn't perform on the day, so I'd be so like you know, I just not sour about it. Wexford were a very good team, but you know, they they they you would think of that, and the other one I would think of is 2012. We got a big beating off Wexford, and that was a hard one to swallow, like was a hard one to swallow, probably as well, because it we were probably a bit scared after, and there was a bit of a worry how would we pull ourselves back together after it. So I think I think of all the days with Cork in in Crow Park, probably 2012 was the hardest of them all to swallow for me, I would think. And unfortunately, the way the human mind works, like I'm no different to the vast majority, like you do go to the ones that that didn't quite go right, you think of them a little bit more. But no, come here. I don't be awake at night thinking about these days.

SPEAKER_02 16:01

She's other reasons to keep be kept awake at night, unfortunately, right?

SPEAKER_00 16:07

So like looking back on your career, like of all the wins you had throughout your career, like whether at the county level or club level, which win means the most to you about out of all of them?

SPEAKER_01 16:18

Yeah, so yeah, so look, everyone would have a different, you know, it's it's that's a very personal kind of question. It depends on your circumstances and the time and your mindset at the time and all that. But I think for me, there's probably tr I've three kind of real standout games that I was really on a high after. I from a Karkamoge point of view, it's a kind of a sad and cliched one. But my last year I played with Clark in 2017, I was captain of the team, I was a bit stretched at the time in terms of just a lot going on. I was kind I was running a physio business, I was doing a masters, I was trying to keep a relationship on the go. Like I was just a bit stretched, but I was trying to like I was all in for the all in for the year, and I probably the big part of it was I probably knew I was wasn't gonna go back the following year. So it was one I really tried to enjoy, and I did enjoy it. I think I I enjoyed it as I remember even telling Bonnie Murray to relax before the game, you know. You know, to enjoy it, like we put a lot into this party, like you know. So I I I that was definitely a big one. We only got over line by a point in the end of the day. Julia White scored a massive point in Orlac. It was Julia White's winning score at the end, it was it was just a really tight game. And I'm sure that Kilkenny are thinking that's the one that got away for them, like you know, so I I totally get that sport, that's a special one. In terms of Cart Lady's football, like in 2014, the one we like this is definitely one that keeps the Dublin girls awake at night because we absolutely robbed them blind of it that day. And I do look back, I do look back on that and think, my god, how did we win it? And the third highlight I'd pick out is actually it's a big club highlight. So we won a with Inascara, we won um a county final in 2010. So why that stands out for me is probably I wasn't sure if Inuscara would ever have enough quality to win a county. Um I would have been young at the time, but like playing for a long time, and I would have been questioning would we ever have would we ever get ourselves together to win a county? It was in a replay, and I actually scored the winning goal, and like I've never played in the forwards, and Sarah, you I did like it is an amazing buzz to score a goal, and it's the only time I've ever scored an important championship score, to be perfectly honest. And it was in the last minute, and it was to win the game. It was an amazing buzz, like it was phenomenal. Did you beat the Bears that day? No, we beat a McKilly.

SPEAKER_02 18:53

Beat a McKilly that day.

SPEAKER_01 18:55

Yeah, they had a oh they'd start so the team, like they had Mary O'Connor, they had Angela Walsh, did Marie O'Neill, like they were excellent. They were excellent.

SPEAKER_02 19:04

Yeah. There you go. There's the three. The the club one is the most it it does become very special, doesn't it? Because it's your community, isn't it? It's it's it's so it's everyone who's grafted with you since you were seven, eight, nine years of age, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 19:19

Yeah, yeah, it's it's very personal, like, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Big time. And you know, your family are all there, and they're all and like when you're playing with Clark, they're all invested as well, but like they're physically on the line writing the slips, like and all that kind of carry-on, and you know. Yeah, yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_02 19:38

The parish priest is praying for you. It's it's all there, it's all there with the club. I know.

SPEAKER_01 19:42

It's I know to be fair to the parish priest, I've got a few got a few prayers for for Crow Packers.

SPEAKER_00 19:50

Look, you obviously played duel for so many years, like so the toll it would have taken on you, like as well, like you know, playing between football and hurling. Like I know there were some weekends you would have had games of football and hurling, but on the way 24 hours. Like, how did you find all of that like? And looking back on it now, is it something maybe you think maybe it was a bit too much at times, or was it like uh you still all right? Was it all right like?

SPEAKER_01 20:13

Yeah, like I suppose look when I look back, and I suppose my background is as a physio, so I'd have a bit of an insight at the minute, no, in terms of optimal loading and things like that. And that was something I was certainly not aware of as a as a younger player. And like when I think back to my career, to be like being perfectly blunt about it, I kind of think of it in three different thirds. I kind of think of it in the kind of when I kind of broke onto the seat, the adult seat scene, and I was full of beans, full of energy, and I was able to manage everything, and everything was going great. And then there was kind of a middle third, and it was probably when I got into the swing of the college life, and probably then after that, like we had the crash when I was kind of just before I left college, and so then getting a job after college was tricky, and physio then led to having a lot of evening jobs, missing a lot of training, but still trying to manage it all. So, like I definitely had a big down for a middle section of my career, and then probably the last third I kind of got a bit on to grips with that. I probably got a job basically, got to grips with a bit of the science behind it, doing my gym work, preparing better, and I kind of came relatively good again. But like the reality is like there was a period that I wasn't able to probably do all it that I was trying to do, and my performances showed that there is no doubt about it. So when I look back now, if I if I know if I knew then what I know now, I definitely would have managed it better. But like, look, I think my heart was in the right place, you know. I did my best with it. Like it it definitely wasn't the right thing all of the time.

SPEAKER_02 21:52

And I like Yeah, Arena, I agree with you because I like I during the crash, and this is we've had the same experience. Experience. I really I came out of college, I really struggled to get a job. I remember working nights at weekends and going to training, having finished, you know, a 12-hour shift at 8 a.m. and then I was on the pitch at 11, you know, in the morning. And it was never sustainable. But we had no other option, or I certainly didn't have any other option because that was the only way I could make money at the time. So you were trying to do a training session after doing a 12-hour shift, you know, 8 to 8 the night before. And I know that's ridiculous now, and I know there's no high-performing athlete now in a cork setup is doing that. So that's that's something that would be disappointing to me as well, at the same time, thinking that I wasn't able to prioritize me, you know what I mean, at the time.

SPEAKER_01 22:43

Yeah, and wondering why you didn't have the bit of jizz and why your pace wasn't as good. And but then when you reflect back on the time, you know, and you'd be like, Well, sure, I mean, I wasn't training as such because I was working the nights, like, and you know, it just you know, uh it it and then you you'd go to overloading then for a period, like you know, and like you know, we did, you know, and it still happens, but it like playing two games within 48 hours, I mean it, that's crazy stuff that doesn't lead to optimal performance at all. So yeah, so that's how that's I suppose that's when I look back now, that that's kind of how I think of it, you know, the early years where I was able to manage everything and like things were easy basically. Like the leaving start was actually grand when I think back on it, you know, it wasn't hard at all. Everything, you know, your dinner on the table and you got home, it was amazing. But that middle section definitely, like I wasn't I I definitely wasn't where I could have been, but I am delighted that I stuck at it because you know, Sarah, like like it's you're wondering, I'm not performing, what should I do? Should I stick with this or not? And like I did make the choice that I will stick with it, I'll stick with the two because they were great teams to be on. I was afraid of missing out on anything. But I you know, I I had to I had to take it more, you know, as serious as I could if I wanted to get up to a good level of performance, and I think I did, I managed that. You'd have a few odd days that you were really disappointing, and when you look back, you're like, should the loading for the Fortnite before that was ridiculous? What was I thinking? And yeah, so that was kind that's kind of how I how I'd view it.

SPEAKER_02 24:24

But I suppose the lot like and Joe will agree with me here, Rena, the longevity of your career, the amount of medals won, you got so much right, so much more right than so many players, you know, who've played intercounty for a myriad of different teams across the country. They'll be saying, You're nearly like the the Limerick hurlers. I was saying, they've made so few mistakes, and when they make a mistake, it's like, oh, they've made a mistake, and you're pouncing on this one mistake in you know 36 games. But I think you know, for for the longevity of your career, what you've managed, I don't think it'll actually be replicated just with the way the whole thing has gone. You know, we talk about Laura Tracy doing 14 seasons. I you know, that that was one sport, you know. So to be able to do it as a jewel, the lads aren't even doing it anymore. You know, times have changed, so you are a unicorn, I think is what we're going to say. Yeah, well, because I wouldn't be a fantastic thing to have in a in a in a team.

SPEAKER_01 25:26

Yeah, obviously, like Breed was with me all the way, and there was a lot of other jewel players came and went as well, you know. So, but 'twas Breed was always, but oh she was definitely my my wingwoman, and she set a big standard, so yeah, you you touched on something. Oh yeah, so I I heard uh Joe Cannell, the great Joe Connolly from Galway, he made a speech there last year, and he said something that really resonated with me. And he said something along the lines of you know, he had a good he he had great luck in terms of his history and geography, that he was born kind of in the right place at the right time. And geez, it really stood out for me like that that that was that is really that that was really the Federal and White Cap. Like I came along at the right time into two excellent teams, and I was lucky enough as well to be born in a place that actually catered for females playing GA at a high level, so like it like I really fell on my feet, like you know, and then like I I said at the start that my parents, like my family wasn't a hist, you know, a traditional GA family, but by God did they row in and become a fairly dedicated GA family, and like all those things are are really really helpful, and you know, without those things, you know, the middle.

SPEAKER_00 26:40

And like like one of it, I think looking back on your career, like the biggest legacies you left behind, like in fifth fifth days, what you done for not just smokey and gathering football, but for women's sport as a whole, like and that must be something you must be very proud of, like looking back on your career and what like you've done for like women's sport in Ireland in particular.

SPEAKER_01 27:00

Um yeah, like look I I suppose as as I kind of mentioned earlier on, and I presume, Sarah, you were the same, like that. I I do remember being as a girl really interested in sport, being not the usual, but I was happy enough with that. But I what I certainly do remember is having role models, and I was able to recognise from a very young age that like they're someone I would like to be like, I'll just copy them in everything they do, and it worked out fairly well, like you know, it was it was fine, like because generally the people that were doing well in sport were doing well in all aspects of their lives, and they were good people to mimic. So then when when I started to get a bit older, I realized, geekers, Rina, you're gonna you're gonna be one of these people. There's gonna be people looking, seeing what you're doing with yourself. And I suppose the other thing was that I was very young joining adult teams, and I was really aware of there was always a couple of mammies on the team that were always looking out for me, and I couldn't have been better looked after. Nothing bad ever happened, and I was left on all the nights out and everything, and nothing bad ever happened because people looked after each other. So I suppose they were the kind of things that I was very conscious of that you know, I'm gonna be a role model for younger people and you know, to look after the younger people on the team. So, like if if people kind of would say, Yeah, Rena did that, then I'd be I'd be very happy with my time spent in sport. And I remember listening to Fiona O'Driscoll, and I remember being probably probably in my mid-twenties, and I remember she was talking about role models, and she kind of just said, Come here, everyone is a role model to someone, you know, it might be your sister, it might be your mother, it might be your cousin. You know, so just be aware that you are probably a role model to, you know, your neighbor down the road, someone in your class, someone you might not even be aware of. I remember after she said that, I suddenly developed a huge comfort around it that, you know, I've had role models all the time that, you know, I never told them that they were my my role model. But actually, people, you know, people in your in your immediate circle are are looking to you all the time. It just happens that for me, maybe there's a few more people looking at at what I met. But like your your behaviors are essentially the same, because you know, you're you're gonna be thinking about the people in the inner circle that little bit more, and you're gonna be doing the right things for them anyway. So, what if other people in the in the outer circle are looking sure what about it? Like, you know. So, yeah, I suppose like and and in the later years, so I'm still trying to tip away with the club. And one thing I'm really proud of is that in in the Inascara Club, now we've a pile of mothers playing, not mothers and others actually just playing, you know. So it's funny how you know even as an older player, you know, your behaviors and stuff, you know, it it does, you know, people do look to other people and what's the norm and what's happening here, and you know, things things change quickly enough on the back of that. So, you know, things like that, I think it will, you know, obviously my I I in terms of actually playing that that day is done really, but like in terms of yeah, like like really important things that won't hit the headlines, and hopefully down the road I'll get involved in coaching and all that kind of stuff. Um those things are really important and make big differences in people's lives.

SPEAKER_02 30:38

I think I agree with you, Rena. We're we're after re-energizing our junior team in Ballygarvan. And Jen Brown is back, so your former teammate Jen, Mary Hallehan's back, Nora Hallehan's back, Zelda Forrest is back, these would all be girls now, Joe, that played 20 years ago, but they've played four league matches now in the last four weeks, and they have 15 kids between them, so we're really enjoying the novelty of just being back together, knowing each other very well. I'm not playing, I'm the manager. I I can play, so I'm washing the jerseys. If I turn the camera now around now, you'd see the the line of jerseys outside. But that's the beauty of it, is that all the moms are back now, and we'd like 28 in the dressing room last Friday night, a mix of 16 is up to 47, I think. And no pressure, like, but a place for the girls to be and go. So I agree with you. I think you can make something the norm very quickly if you do it the right way, and then it doesn't become so outlandish, you know, and the following year other people will will step up. It's fantastic.

SPEAKER_00 31:52

Rena, like talking about your what means your child of heroes. I remember you said before Sonia Sullivan was a child of hero yours, and I was reading there today and I was looking up the story about which was on the late late show and uh foot incident. If you like to go, I know you mentioned before, but if you'd like to talk about that there now and how you check up how your foot was like on you, to see what your foot like Sonia Sullivan. If I thought that was a good story, actually.

SPEAKER_01 32:16

That's it, Joe. So I suppose the first sport I really got involved with was athletics. So I used to be play I used to run with uh Blair and the Scar Athletic Club. So it was discovered fairly fast that maybe speed what I was I was I was grand, I was the middle of the pack when it came to the sprints, but I was able to kind of keep going longer than anyone else, kind of my age in in the club with the long distance stuff. So I was when everyone else was doing all the fun stuff, I was sent running lapsed in. But I liked it, I I really enjoyed it actually, and it was a brilliant start for me in terms of in terms of sport, and you know, at that time when GA training might not have been that complicated, you know, athletics was that little bit ahead in terms of patterns of movement and types of training and stuff like that, you know. I like I remember like I remember doing a fitness test with the car comoge team where we had to do a 1500 meter run, and I remember a couple of people couldn't pace themselves, they actually failed to finish it, like you know, and I remember thinking, God almighty, has this person never you know, you know, thought out in their head how they're gonna run 1500 metres, whereas like I got I was lucky enough to get all that training as like as a child, like I didn't think I was a child, but I I was a child. So anyway, that was a good start. So Sanya Sullen was my absolute childhood hero, you know, as a as a young teenager. And I remember coming home from a training session and Sanya being on the on the on the late late show, and I remember they were showing her foot and how athletic her foot was, and you could see every every sinu in her in her foot, and the veins was the big thing that was popping out. And I remember I took off my own shoe and sock, and I was like, my god, it's something like Sanya's. Maybe, maybe I could be. But anyway, that's what being a child is like, I suppose.

SPEAKER_00 34:12

That's it in that case, yeah. Sure, we probably all have stories like that. Somewhere like watching up looking at our heroes. But like when you finally did decide to like, I suppose, in your case, hang off the boots and the hurl, like back in hurling was 2017, or the comoggy, sorry. Well, like, was it a hard decision for you to make at the time? And did you miss it much that when you did step away from it? Like, I know at the time you spoke of you found it scary at times, like, because you knew not unless like throughout the last previous like 17 years or whatever it was, and you found it scary and you thought you said like you taught about a lot of coming out of retirement, like maybe every second day or something. But like, how was it for you when you did retire and did you find it hard to make that decision?

SPEAKER_01 34:54

Yeah, it was definitely it was definitely something I had to think about. No, I realized I was very lucky. Some people get injured, and you know, there's I might get dropped or something like that, so they don't get the choice, but definitely I was humming high about it, and I wasn't old, like I was I was only 30 years of age, you know. You could definitely have kept going a little bit longer than that, but I suppose the big thing for me was that there was two, like I've two clubs, so I've Inascara and more in football. So Inuscara had a very good team at the time, and I kind of wanted to give them the bit of time. Just a couple of years before your pastor cell by date, I I thought that was important when I'd given so many years to Cork. It was something I kind of wanted to do. And the second one was that Dunamore hadn't fielded a team for a couple of years, and I knew that if I wasn't playing with Cork, I'd be able to do a bit of training. Like, and I know I'm just one, I'm one person, but I did think it might have a bit of an impact, you know, playing league games and stuff like that, in terms of fielding teams and being competitive and things like that. So they were two reasons really that played on my mind, and like I look, I'm I think if I had stayed on, you know, the Cork Mogies went down and won the following year. I'm sure I, you know, I would have been fantastic to have been part of that. But for me, just the time was right. I'd I'd given a lot of time to Cork. I I just I I do value the club, I think it's an important facet of of sporting life in GA. And I'm I I you know, I I'd given a good stint with Cork, so I'm I'm kind of content with that that decision. But obviously, like when you're there and you're watching the Cork team play, you'd be thinking, geez, I could be out there, you know. That that sure I think that still, but it's obviously not the case, like you know.

SPEAKER_00 36:48

Looking back in your career, what would be the biggest regret of your career?

SPEAKER_01 36:52

Like that I didn't start gym work earlier, definitely. Or in that middle in that middle third of my career, I wasn't actually aware that fitness was an issue for me because I was a very fit player in my younger days, but actually, because of like I like the work thing actually had a huge impact on me in that so basically I qualified as a physio and I went straight working into private practice, which involved a lot of evening work, but also you're you're managing a caseload that like that's probably was beyond the new grad. So you're having to study up, you're under pressure at work, you're doing you're working in the evening, and and you're trying to do your bit of your own training by day, but it's not at the same standard, you're a bit stressed out. I just wasn't fit, to be perfectly honest. I wasn't fit enough to play two sports, definitely not. So, in terms of regrets, I I I would love if I had gone and approached someone to put together a program for me when I was training on my own. That would have been a really smart thing to do, but I didn't do it.

SPEAKER_00 38:00

Sure look. I don't know, it points like the great thing, I suppose, isn't it? As they say. And like looking at Camogi as a whole, not even now this day and age, it's like it's starting to that's you're supposed to start to get a bit more touching in the media and all that, and you can see it's starting to get bigger and bigger. But looking at yourself out, what would you do? Anything you could think that maybe will make help it get better, and also like help some of the maybe smaller things to get up to the level of say the top four or five, in terms of that stuff kind of thing. Is there anything that can be done? Like just to get in because like you suppose you've seen it this year a bit like when the gap between senior and intermediate grade is very massive, like there you've seen it right there with like off you coming up from intermediate last year, and they've suffered been beaten against Dublin there at Lester Championship, and their Dublin also over Carl, and then today they're Watford against Kerry. Like, so there is a massive gap there. Like, and is there anything do you think that can be done maybe to close that gap and to maybe also if I think done to improve Camogey as a whole, so that maybe more people be interested in watching it?

SPEAKER_01 39:01

Like, yeah, so yeah, you've two there's two questions in that. One is the overall development of it's hurling and camoe, it's it's both, like you know, like you know, hurling is is an amazing game, and you know, when you're from a place in Cork that that plays hurling, you kind of take it for granted. But I like there's friends of mine from college had to go to Australia to play a game of hurling, you know, it's it's not widespread across the country. So like Jarlot Burns is he he had ideas around you know getting every every club to have both a hurling and a football club, but like I would say in terms of promotion of hurling and comoge, I I think that's something that needs to happen, you know, centrally in terms of a huge investment of money and a huge that's policy stuff, you know. It's I like I suppose in the 90s we saw breakthrough counties, but since then, really, you know, it's the same teams winning the hurling, it's the same teams winning the camoe, and I think it needs massive structural and policy change to change that because you know yourself, anyone that's that's that's very good at hurling, that hurling is in their hands from a very, very young age, and they've got really good structures around them, and unless you get that in place for for more people across the country, you won't see you won't see a change. The women in sport thing is a different argument, then that's a that's a different issue. I think in the areas that hurling is strong, I think female participation has has increased. There's no doubt about that. I I would say that's anecdotally. I see just in our club here, you know, we've as many underage comogi players as we have hurlers. But the pathway for those players as a female is at the minute is very, very different to the pathway for a male player. And like there's an awful lot of things that need to change uh to have equity from that, you know, like from a structure's point of view, uh within within clubs, within schools, within county boards, you know, there's uh and then like I suppose there's in terms of promotion of the game, you know, there's there's so many facets to that. There's no it's it's a huge, huge thing. Uh integration is is obviously getting a good bit of airtime at the minute, and I do think it's the right thing. I think it's the right thing for Gaelic games to have one GA and try and replicate pathways for females that are there for males. No. Do I think it's the answer to everything? Sure, absolutely not. Is the is the is the experience of a female soccer player the same as a male soccer player? No. But I I do think that our best bet is to be integrated in the one organization, and then I think having leadership within that organization that says, hey, females should be having the same the same experience of Gaelic games here as males. It's gonna take an like the I think a generation is 14 years. Will it be achieved within one generation? I'm not sure, but it's it's it's we're certainly not there. There's definitely more awareness of females in sport than there was a generation ago, but we're we're certainly not there. We'd be we'd be codding ourselves to say to think we were.

SPEAKER_02 42:31

Anecdotally, Rina, an example of this the the this requirement for kind of a a male leadership to step up and recognise the pathways are required for the improvements in pay for the Irish women's soccer team. Seamus Coleman actually stepped up and said, We're gonna take a pay cut so the girls can get a pay increase. This is what's happening, gents. And they all had to row in behind. And you know it it's unusual that a group would take a pay cut to kind of uh to give the team a leg up, but that's exactly what happened. And that was led by somebody like Seamus Goldman, who I'd go to war for myself. But uh I remember the Irish women's soccer team uh you know outlining that that's how they ended up getting increased uh remuneration for their international games was because of one man, Seamus Goldman. So it kind of needs somebody big to step up within the GA side to recognise. We're not asking for money, obviously, but the pathways, the the recognition of how players can develop and and put those stepping stones in place for girls to have the same experiences as males. That's that's what needs to happen.

SPEAKER_01 43:49

Yeah, and like another look, a really an interesting example, and we won't get into the weeds on it here, is like so the GPA have a clearest charter, and I think they're they're creating a players charter for females at the minute and it's it's just interesting that like why should there be different player charters? I mean, should there not just be a player's charter, you know? Yeah. But we that's it's a totally separate debate, like, but it's it's it's interesting. And it just shows we're we're definitely not there if we're creating a male players charter and a female's player charter for for intercounty players, you know.

SPEAKER_00 44:26

And look and I was researching this today there for you.

SPEAKER_01 44:29

I seen I heard about really incident back in 2017 like and it kind of shows the difference between the way I suppose even back then there maybe women were treated when you went to do a medal presentation to a club down at Cork and like there was a girls under 14 team I want something and the boys on the 12 team and it was only when you got there you were you told that it'd only be presented to the girls team that they didn't want you to even present to the boys team something that wasn't it like that's all and that I found that very strange actually yeah so it looks yeah so the details of that were that the the plan was I was always presenting to the to the girls team and they had a male organized to present to the to the boys team that's standard I've no issue with that but what happened was like at short at really short notice the the male who was presenting to the male team just couldn't come something came up for him so the club were in a complete panic and just got a local club guy to to present the the medals to the to the boys team like that's that's so so basically right taking the the character so this guy I'm sure I'm sure he was an excellent club player and I'm sure he was an excellent role model and all that but like if you take the personalities out of it right the reality was you had a female who at the time was the Camoge player of the year coming into a club and it just didn't cross the minds that do you know what that player might actually be a good choice to present the under twelves who happened to be a male team with their medals and like I just thought that was phenomenal that that thought didn't cross their minds you know so that that that was that was kind of the point of the story and I I hope it didn't get lost on people it was nothing to do with you know the the guy who ended up presenting the medal or me personally it was to do with like the the what the the achievement I had achieved that year which is obviously look it's a you know that that was somewhat that's an opinion as well you know player of the year but I mean you'd be thinking that that would be enough of a that would be enough of an achievement to to merit giving any under 12 their medal but clearly not in not in everybody's eyes you know anyway I suppose actually for question I forgot to ask to start was what when I asked Sarah about what you were like as a teammate I never forgot to ask what was Sarah like as a teammate at the time but I'll ask that question out there and because that's not what Sarah like as a teammate when you were playing with her. Sarah's great great teammate very good very good so I spoke around about about making younger players feel welcome and Sarah definitely did that she made you know like she she would have definitely had award for everyone and that's a really important characteristic of of a teammate you know so that's something I'd certainly remember Sarah for. And then obviously the other thing was Sarah was always always tuned into the big games you know like it was all about the big games and I used I used look I I I definitely had had massive you know I I definitely put a a lot of emphasis on training but like it was all about the big games at the end so that's what Sarah was around around the house for as well you know so they'd be two things that would really stand out for me with Sarah. So great teammate in terms of having a word for everyone and always thinking about the big day which was brilliant.

SPEAKER_02 47:48

And what about the social side Rina I would say strong on the social side.

SPEAKER_00 47:55

Thank you I I feel like that was my big strong point as well yeah I'd keep going till Wednesday after a Sunday game sounds like there was great fun anyway with this got it so down part of the reason probably why you were so successful as well like most of you all got on so well then as well like and had that together I suppose now part of the reason you're so successful in all those years.

SPEAKER_02 48:23

I don't think they get the same downtime now though do they reena?

SPEAKER_00 48:27

Um maybe so I I suppose my my perception of it is probably skewed because I never had the downtime between the two sports you know so probably if you're a one sport player unlikely yeah yeah yeah unlikely yeah all your years like playing for Cork and all that who was the best manager you played under and who had which manager wrote had the most influence on you during your career?

SPEAKER_01 48:54

Yeah so in football there's no doubt Eamon Ryan was the best like that I've that I've had in terms of you know an influence on me and you know when Eamon came to us like we didn't realise it at the time but he he probably wasn't young you know so he had a lot of life experience and like at the end of the day that gave him a freedom like he wasn't under pressure. So that allowed him to focus on he you know he became he he became he was very holistic as a coach because he wasn't under pressure from a football point of view and that that was a breath of fresh air you know so when Eamon used to be talking to us he'd be s he'd be kind of sick he used to always he used to have this phrase kind of like whether it's in in in life in work or in football you know and and then he'd go on telling you know he was he was working on us in terms of look at the time we didn't have psychologists or anything like that but like Eamon was was doing all that stuff and it was a much bigger beast than just just playing football and I think a lot of that was to do with him himself his personality but probably the stage of his career when he joined us so that that was that was lovely it was a lovely experience from a comogie point of view like look loads of loads of managers have had massive like Paudy Murray you know I've been in the trenches with Paudy an awful lot so I definitely learnt an awful lot from Paudy and Jan Cron and Sarah mentioned Jan Jan would have been a huge influence on me as an underage player and I suppose I would have just got people get on very well with Jan Jan's a great people person and I suppose a third person who would have had a big influence on me would have been you know Driscoll just her stature within the game and the level she took it to like yeah she she would have brought comogi to a massive a massive level and her attention to detail was second to none you know so those people would have had a huge influence on me from a comoge point of view.

SPEAKER_00 51:02

Like just to get your quick opinion now actually on Court Komoge currently like and how they're going on getting on this year. Like obviously they've had a few players step away from last year's panel and just get your quick opinion maybe a quick opinion on where you where you think they are and how you think they'll what they'll achieve this year maybe because look they obviously had a bit of a poor league and they were beaten in Munster by Tipperary so the year hasn't gone so great so far like and obviously they've had a few injuries as well so far this year but just get your opinion on where they are now at the moment.

SPEAKER_01 51:30

Yeah so I think in terms of the positives for Cork I think the the big positive for Cork is that they like they have a fantastic structure. There's no doubt about that they're they're a really well prepared team really good management set up you know they know what they're about but probably the reality is from a personnel point of view they are going through a bit of a bit of a transition like you mentioned there they're they're just down um they're down a lot of kind of their kind of key players from the last couple of years and it's it's hard to just you know as Sarah mentioned earlier on probably you know I'm not sure if it's that it takes a bit of time to get up to the senior level now or is there a bit of a mix that maybe the standard across all of the clubs in Cork isn't massively high. The reality is probably a bit of a mix of the two that it's going to take time to rebuild because you're you're not going to be able to just helicopter in a couple of players from a few few you know the few clubs that are doing well. So like I I was hoping Cork would do a little bit better against Tip. I was hoping that they would have had the work put in they would have been just a little bit better organized possibly than Tip maybe a bit fitter and that that might have shown a bit more on the day but look I I I think we have to give credit where credit's due like probably the other counties are are quite organised as well and it's just going to take Clark a little bit of time. I think all the clubs need to put their shoulder to the wheel and bring up the standard across the county and I would like to see the standard of the of the club championship a bit higher in in more clubs my own included and just keep the keep the standards high in Cork and keep bringing bringing young players through and just trying to trying to develop them and it's going to take Cork a couple of years before we're back winning in Crow Park is be my gut feeling on it.

SPEAKER_00 53:29

I suppose it happens to every county I suppose at some stage where they just after success a few years of success you know older players move on and they just you have to start bringing through younger players but like what I bring in like you have a decent 23 team this year now they ended up winning the finishing top of the group and they're all in the semi-final there that's some good players in that as well but if you could actually now question for you if you could if there was a transfer system now in Camoge and you could transfer in any player for any court player from another county which player would you bring into court that's for three for the three years or that if you could transfer them in.

SPEAKER_01 54:00

Oh I bring in um I bring in bed carton definitely I think she I think she's I think she's top class and what age is Eva Dunhu?

SPEAKER_02 54:09

But Eva Dunhu has been some player I think she's oh my god two I think now actually Rena the there's a couple of girls from Atheno young girls 16 17 who are going to be phenomenal players and that Ath and Rye team at Christmas when we're watching them play the bars those girls are only 17 and they have real jets and and and they love like their wing backs you know what I mean they're proper the Freenies I think they're actually one wing back one wing forward if these girls continue on the on the say the trajectory that they were on at Christmas time like Galway are just going to go from strength to strength. Which is scary and I agree with you the club scene in Cork being around it for the last two or three years I I I think the teams need to train a different way and they need to train harder and they need to have the hurley in the hand more often because it feels to me like the girls don't have the hurley in the hand when they're you know not enough nights in the week and it's and it's having a massive impact on on the standard of the game in at a club level in Cork.

SPEAKER_00 55:26

Yeah I think it needs to improve I agree yeah right and now we've got on to now what I think is going to be my favorite part of these episodes where we have players coming on everyone I've already given I gave you a a warning about last week this uh where you're gonna pick the top five players you played with and the top five players you played against so you start with the top five I think I know I wonder who we are number one. I wonder if my co-host will be in the top five of your best of the feet no we didn't play together for long enough I didn't I maybe if I had been a club teammate I could have had more of a say go on arena no offense taken you start with the top five you played against anyway and we go from there if you want to go from five to one or one to five we'll leave that up to you.

SPEAKER_01 56:07

Yeah I got do you know what Joe I've been thinking about this over the week right and I'm not gonna answer the question at full because I wouldn't do justice to it right but I will I will throw out the couple of players who were different standard so in terms of the players I played against the players I'm gonna give you I'm gonna give you it's I've in terms of football the players I've played against that were different level like by an absolute country mile it doesn't take me more than a second to think about this Cora Stanton like I I think I I I I hear some younger players now talking about Cora and I'm like if you marked Cora when she was 21 mother of God she was just a force to be reckoned with like she was phenomenal like I I can't I she had power she had pace and she had this mindset that was unbreakable like she was out to win the game like no excuses whatsoever like on her own like on her own yeah and like she she played with Mayo you know until she was I she was definitely 35 I'd say in her last final and you know I I hope people don't remember Cora you know at you know when you when Cora in her prime there I I just think she was there's I think there was nobody like her. I think she was just a a one-hit wonder so she's she's definitely my standout player play player against my second player against in football and this is a bit to do I think with the stage of my development in my career so I'm gonna pick Charlene O'Shea from Kerry so I would have been a young maybe 16 17 year old marking her first trying to get to grips with her and maybe if we were the same age and coming up at the same time maybe would have been a bit different but me as a 16 17 year old as a corner back marking her as a 29 30 year old as a corner forward who still had all her pace that was a massive massive learning curve for me so I would put that out as a I would put her out as a standout for me in terms of played against and then in Kamoge in terms of played against again these are two players I came against as a young player so the first seller in final I played in 2004 I marked Emir McDonald and by God 'twas a listen no sorry 2000 was it 2004 2005 2005 sorry it was 2005 yeah I marked um oh the captain she in 2004 her name she was into horses her name isn't coming to my head Claire Grogan no sorry sorry kiara kiara no she was on the wing anyway marked marked emir mall in uh 2005 and I had never marked anyone like her marked Deirdre Hughes no she played wing wing forward she was captain joanne was she joanne oh my god joanne Ryan yeah Joanne Ryan that's who I marked her but amor mall different gravy like just skill level better than anyone I'd ever marked in my life positioning superb and again just a forward who wanted to skin you every time she got it she was just a different level the second player I'd pick again I was a young player she was an older player and had virtually all the same attributes as Emer would be and I I actually never shared a dressing room with her and us both as players would be Fiona Driscoll so I remember Mac here as a 16 year old in a club league game and as a 17 year old in a championship game and just thinking whoa this woman is different gravy in terms of her skill level her mindset just they were players that were different level so they're the four I've picked out and I don't have anyone else to match that that kind of gap like I you could name five or six players then at the next level I think but in terms of players I've marked in in in big games they're my they're my stand out four.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:41

All good players in fairness so now we go on to your players that you would have played with now and I suppose probably no one or two these anyway you probably could guess from one or who these anyway but you go ahead with them anyway.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:52

Yeah I'm gonna be a messer again here now I'm not gonna again I'm gonna go with the same tact apologies no but I'm gonna I'm not gonna name five I'm gonna name the standout players and hopefully reason them out hopefully look at all opinion stuff and the first player I'm gonna pick is Breed Carcree and the reasoned Bridge Carcury was just a different level from an athleticism point of view and having spent so long training with her through her whole career like she like I I can imagine she'd be a nightmare to to mark in a one off game if you were an opponent but to see her train week in week out and particularly let's say as she was an older player and she did winter like so you'd see her in in January and she was not you wouldn't be writing home about her like and in to see her perform in July August and September like she could just get up to a level that none of us could get up to so barring that mid portion of my career where I wasn't maybe hitting the heights but let's say early on and late and late on when I was in good physical shape like I used to be able to beat Breach early in the year like but when it came to to August like I just couldn't get I couldn't get near her and nobody could nobody could she was like she's the one person I think that I've played with or against that if she wanted to go to the Olympics and compete she'd have got there like I think she's at that level like I think she's just different gravy so that's Breed from a comoge point of view the player that I've picked out that I think was at a different level to everyone else like obviously I played with some outstanding players but I think the player who was just at a different level and again you really see it at training is Eva Murray. Her skill level was exceptional like we used to be taking shots in Eva Murray and I remember managers thinking we better not do this the the Thursday night before a championship game because like no one was scoring like it her skill level is out of this world I think I think she was the first real camoe player to put real massive thought into her puck outs I think she I think she upped the game in terms of puck outs and camoe and just her skill level you know any day any day you got a goal off IFA like my whole if I was if I was behind me I like as I was so excited Joe to have a run at IFA.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:32

I spent I'd say 20 years trying to get a run at IFA and if you got a goal off IFA you'd look out at the sideline you go come on come on I'm after doing this now like because you knew you had beaten the absolute best and it didn't obviously happen all the time but the days you got a run on IFA was was absolutely and I you're right Raina she was one of the players that I used to love I'd be turned on for IFA like I'd literally go right you know how how am I going to beat her now that was that was always a really exciting game to play in was the days you could get a run at IFA with Tov especially because obviously there was such a rivalry there when we were all playing you know it was the bishops down the Tovs the Inascaras but when you got a run at IFA oh you'd like yeah you're right she she really tested every every part of of the game for you yeah and and then from the flip side for me from playing with her like playing full back with Ifa behind you like you'd play in a different way because you weren't in any way worried about the ball behind you like you know yeah like you'd make yourself an option for the puck out because like 'twas gonna go to your paw like and nowhere else you know you'd have confidence in that yeah so that from a comogi point of view Ifa Murray was my pick my pick and then football I'm under ferocious pressure in football because I played with an amazing team with tea with a with team with a team you know there was unbelievable players with amazing attributes in so many different positions so I'm really at the pin of my collar to to pick someone out but obviously I'm gonna have to pick someone so the player I'm gonna pick is Valerie Mulcahy because it's down to Val's skill level was it was a different level and I'm not sure if any like if I if anyone I've you know like I've mentioned Cora but like was Val's level technically that little bit better than Cora very possibly like yeah like Val's technical level was superb like she was such a good footballer.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:43

She wasn't blessed with a whole pile of pace she got herself in really good condition in terms of her strength and she knew where to be she had a brilliant mindset in that like I actually whenever I think of Val, I think of we played Galway in a league final and I remember she took a free a handy enough one she put away Right. And then I remember she got a free out by the by the sideline on about the twenty, and someone booed her from the crowd, and she looked up and she eyeballed the person in the crowd. She put the ball down and she stuck it over the black spot, you know. Off the ground, you know, in ladies' football. You know, it's not something you see every day of the week. But like when she wanted to put the ball over the black spot, by god, she could put the ball over the black spot. No, look, other other players have had a lot of fantastic attributes, but in terms of skill level, I just think Fail was different gravy.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:33

Okay, Fell was some great players throughout the years anyway, through a long career. But like just they talk about breach, like obviously the two of you won 18 All Ireland between you. Did it ever either be ever like just think one more year and I'd be her record like it just so I'd be on my own? I know the two of you were a best friend. Like, did you ever have that? I suppose that obviously it wasn't to be who would end up winning the most All Ireland between the two of you. I'm not there ever that temptation to just maybe go back that extra year, see, could you get one more All Ireland and be ahead of her?

SPEAKER_01 1:06:59

Yeah, like people who say that to me all the time, you know, and think that it was this big deal between us or anything like that. But I mean, like, sure, it absolutely wasn't. I mean, Breach is Breedge is a great friend of mine, and Breach knows as much as anyone the commitment rev that's involved in in terms of playing, and oh, we were older players at the time with a lot you know, a lot going on. So, like I think I Breach didn't play in 2017, which was my last year playing, but she had a baby, I mean, fair enough. And she came back in 2018. Absolutely, yeah, yeah. And she came back in fair, like you know, yeah, and she got out. Uh I I mean Breedge Cockley was uh like she's I think she's one of the stando players of her generation, you know what I mean? She's couldn't couldn't talk highly enough of her.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:45

And my favourite part of of Breach playing was in 05 when she'd no helmet on, and she's up and down the field and she's got the chewing gum in the mouth, and she had come on at half time, wasn't it? We were tip were going for three in a row, weren't they? Yeah. And she came on at half time and caused absolute havoc between the two forty-fives. The amount of ball she picked up between the two forty-fives with no helmet on and the ch chewing them in them out, and she just she just turned the game on its head. And uh that was my that was your first All Ireland and mine.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:23

Yeah, come on. I I remember Breach played a junior final, I think it was in 2003, and Marty Morrissey and Cyril Farrell were on the commentary, and I'm sure they had done a small bit of homework beforehand, but they knew nothing about Bridge, and like that now she came on at halftime, and like I just remember I remember watching back the final and the commentary from Marty, and they had never seen the likes of her, they just they couldn't get over her. Like it must have been some shock to them, like why were Cork not playing this player from the start? She's but like she probably had been to no training because of everything else that was going on, but like to be able to spring her and no one know her, like it was mad times. Yeah, if there was a young Bridge Cork or your own clear of no weed, I can take her.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:17

So you've been looking, there will be.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:38

And look, you had a wonderful career, like you know, there's no doubt about it. Like to win 18 All Ireland, like is it's remarkable. Like, you know, it's probably one of the greatest sports as Ireland has ever produced for you, like, and it was an absolute honor to interview you and have you on the pod so well. So and Cancer William for coming on.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:54

Thanks very much, Sho. Thanks very much, Sarah. It was great to have the chat. Great to have the chat. Yeah, we'll see you again.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:01

Yeah, thanks again for coming on, Sarah. But just before I go, I'll just remind you of the uh on Instagram you can find us talking comoge podcast. We're also on X at Talk and Comoge Pod. And you can email the podcast uh talk and comeogi podcast at gmail.com. And look, we leave as I said, we'll leave with that for this week. We'll be back again next week with another episode. And once again, thanks for what Sarah for coming on this week.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:23

Thanks, yeah. Bye guys.