In any career to win one title is considered a success.
But to have to wait a generation or more to get back to a stage you thought you would perform at regularly must stand as one of the great GAA stories.
St Patrick’s Eglish Camogie club from Tyrone have waited over 20 years to walk out in Croke Park and for one player it was been a lifetime dream to once again play in a club decider.
1992’s All-Ireland club final loss to Mullagh was hugely disappointing for one of the younger members of the match day squad, Brenda Horsfield. This Sunday the full-back, and club chairperson, has a chance to bridge the gap as her side take on the Galway champions in Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA club at 2pm.
Club manager Martin Curry thinks the ‘seasoned campaigner’ is a huge inspiration to everyone in the club.
“Everyone looks up to her and it’s super to have her there. What she has achieved… and even when we were getting beat in Ulster finals she stayed with us. I’ve told them more than once Brenda didn’t think 24 years ago that it would be this long for her to win another Ulster title.
“We’ve been to a few Ulster finals and couldn’t get over the line but we got over Liatrom from Down and when we got over that hurdle that had tripped us up so many times, we knew we were in a good place.”
The Tyrone club are probably the most dominant camogie side in the country, having hoovered up all but a handful of county titles on offer over the last 50 years. Curry is an outsider, coming from the Miltown club in nearby Armagh, but even from his first meeting he could sense there was something unique about the team.
“It was my very first time with a camogie team and I was working with men and it was my first time with ladies and I was very impressed with their commitment and their attitude and what we were trying to achieve. “There was no moaning, no complaining, just pure focus. “
Their run of bad luck in Ulster finals finally came to an end with their success over long-standing foes Liatroim of Down, and then a facile win over Glen of Derry by 5-14 to 2-5 on 8th December.
That match however is almost a memory now as Curry readies his team for a tilt at reaching Croke Park. He has no worries over the long delay between games.
“After winning the Liatrom game the Ulster final was delayed five or six weeks but the girls came though so well and kept focused and when we met Glen in the final.
“Liatrom was the biggest game of our year. Beating the Down champions was huge but the confidence that has given us, and the win over Glen has helped us hugely.”
Eyrecourt are not only Galway champions but contain a number of county players with a serious camogie pedigree in the shape of Molly Dunne, while Susan Earner is one of the best goalkeepers in the country.
The Galway outfit come in as slight favouites, not that Curry is bothered by their reputation.
“It would be brilliant to get to the final. The goal was to win Ulster and now we’re here we’re going for it. Brenda is the perfect example, this chance may not come around again and we’ll give it our best shot.”
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