Mooney hopes for more success

Most post players would be delighted with a career that included two All-Ireland Intermediate Championship medals, a Provincial Senior Championship and a few County Senior medals but for Maria Mooney aged only 20 this is something she is well used to in the green and maroon. Since emerging on the scene Mooney has established herself as an integral part of the Eoghan Rua defence on the edge of the square.

As a club Eoghan Rua have only played senior Camogie since the turn of the century and as any club in its infancy could testify its first few years can be tough however for the Coleraine club that wasn’t the case for long. A County Junior title was the first major milestone in 2005 before an Intermediate Championship win in 2007. A first Derry Senior title in 2010 was followed by those two All-Ireland triumphs before Eoghan Rua claimed their first ever Ulster Senior Championship in 2013. Mooney is very grateful to all the players who she lines out beside who have got them to where they are today.

‘Grainne (McGoldrick) and some of the girls have put in a lot of work to get us to where we are now but even at my age we haven’t been as strong as some of the bigger clubs in Derry. They have experienced playing adult club camogie at a weaker level and we owe an awful lot to those girls who have taken the club to where it is now. There have been some young girls who have come in and added more to the team and that brings and energy and freshness and when you mix that it with more experienced players like Grainne, Grace McMullan and Jane Carey it works’.

Maria Mooney (Second from Right) celebrates after the 2012 All-Ireland Intermediate Final

At full back Maria will be calmed by the influence of experienced goalkeeper Aileen Moore behind her and rock solid captain Méabh McGoldrick leading the team at centre back. It has many said many a time that ‘success isn’t a straight line’ and many routes to success bring along some tough challenges but this isn’t something that Maria believes has faced her team

‘Those players are our backbone and lead us through these big games and we need these girls to drive us on. Everyone is very much together and are lucky that all personalities mix well together. There has never been any disruption in the squad for the last few years and we all support each other and that helps build success’.

‘This would be a new level to experience that we haven’t faced before as we go up against the reigning All-Ireland Senior Champions and we have a different attitude because there is no pressure on us at all as we have nothing to lose so it’s a matter of just going out without fear and enjoying it’.

Milford have many marquee players such as Anna Geary amongst their ranks however Maria is confident that the usual diligence by the Eoghan Rua management of Joe Passmore and Brendan McLernon has them well prepared for Sunday’s game.

We couldn’t be prepared as best as possible unless we took a bit of a look at Milford and we have to pay them the utmost respect. We have taken a look at how they operate but we’ll look towards our strengths and how we can utilise the players in our team. Our management always put in a lot of work to prepare us for games and this is no different’.

With the announcement of the game being played at Ashbourne the Eoghan Rua camp were very pleased as previous All-Ireland Semi-Finals were played in unfamiliar places which resulted in difficult journeys for the clubs supporters being dragged across the country in 2011 and 2012.

‘It’s great that the game is at Ashbourne as it’s familiar to many of us and a lot less daunting than Croke Park and it will be great as it’s a great pitch and facility. This would be a new level to experience that we haven’t faced before as we go up against the reigning All-Ireland Senior Champions and we have a different attitude because there is no pressure on us at all as we have nothing to lose so it’s a matter of just going out without fear and enjoying It’.

Rightly so Maria showcases a relaxed confidence in her tone and experience beyond someone who has just recently left her teenage years and signs off by saying, ‘ I don’t mind get dragged down to Croke Park another time’. It shouldn’t be ruled out.

Eoghan Rua v Milford, Cork- Ashbourne 2pm on Sunday