TIPPERARY DUAL PLAYER Orla O’Dwyer is facing into the ridiculous situation of having to play two championship games in the space of four hours this Saturday, again raising question marks over player welfare.
With the newly-introduced round-robin stages of the All-Ireland ladies football championship getting underway this weekend, O’Dwyer will line out against Kerry at MacDonagh Park in Nenagh at 1pm.
From there, she will dash across Tipperary — 30 kilometres, to be exact — to The Ragg where the 19-year-old will captain the county’s camogie team in their All-Ireland Group 2 clash with Offaly at 5pm.
“I know it’s not an ideal situation,” O’Dwyer said, speaking to Tipp FM yesterday.
“There’s nothing I can do and I can’t dwell on it too much. I feel like I’m very lucky to be selected on both panels as it is and I suppose it’s just about playing my best for the two of them. Once the football is over, I have to focus on the camogie. A win is needed for both, they’re both equally important.
“I’m just going to give it my best anyway, not dwell on it and I just want to get two wins for Tipperary.”
Needless to say, neither management team is pleased with the situation, which has forced O’Dwyer to ‘take it easy’ this week in training ahead of back-to-back games.
“They’re [two managers] not too happy either, but it’s out of our hands and there’s nothing you can really do about it,” the University of Limerick student continued. “They are working very well together, they’ve been talking.
“I’ve been taking it easy for the week. It’s out of their hands, and it’s out of my hands. I’m looking forward to the two games, they’re equally as important.”
In an interview with The42 last January, O’Dwyer said she wouldn’t be able to pick between the two and thus wanted to commit to both the football and camogie panels for the 2018 season.
“I knew playing the two of them they might overlap on the same weekend, but didn’t think it’d be the same day. Tipperary need two wins and that’s what I’m hoping for. It’s just the way it is.
“At least they’re both in Tipp, but it is unfortunate two big games are on the same day.”
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