ONE YOU MAY have missed over the Bank Holiday Weekend: Armagh dual star Caroline O’Hanlon became a Super League Netball champion once again.
The long-serving Armagh footballer played a starring role as Manchester Thunder emerged victorious after Sunday evening’s Grand Final at the Copper Box Arena in London.
O’Hanlon’s side were 60-53 winners over Loughborough Lightning, finishing the season unbeaten with 22 victories on the bounce en route to their first title since 2019.
Congratulations to @cohanlon9 and her team mates @thundernetball 👏👏 #Champions https://t.co/wom1GgPDOE
— ArmaghLGFA (@ArmaghLGFA) June 5, 2022
We couldn’t be more proud 🙌🙌amazing season @cohanlon9 with @thundernetball 🏆💛🖤 enjoy the celebrations and see you back in 💚soon!! #champions #undefeated https://t.co/ISbH3Gzua6 pic.twitter.com/10qhw5JuWE
— Netball NI (@netballni) June 5, 2022
Manager Karen Greig lauded near netball perfection afterwards.
“I don’t think you can get any closer than that,” she told The Surrey Comet. “A lot of our girls will probably turn around and say this is the best squad we’ve ever had.
“The unitedness of the team has been phenomenal, the girls have got each other’s backs. They get on, on and off the court, which for me is a culture thing and you see transfer from off to on: you couldn’t ask for more.
“Undefeated is absolutely amazing and we’re super proud of it, but to get over the line today is phenomenal.”
“Oh my God, I can’t believe that. We wanted to come out and perform today and we did from minute one. I’m so, so proud of everyone,” captain and Grand Final Player of the Match Laura Malcolm added.
🏆 VNSL Champion
— Vitality Netball Superleague (@NetballSL) June 5, 2022
👑 Title-winning captain
🏅 @Vitality_UK Player of the Match
A stunning individual season @ljmalcolm1 ends in a Grand Final POTM award 👏
Come for the interview, stay for the celebrations 😅 pic.twitter.com/fnIJLrWaWd
Dancing queens 👑
— Vitality Netball Superleague (@NetballSL) June 6, 2022
The @thundernetball players celebrated in style in front of their travelling fans 😎
Shakira ain't got nothing on these girls! 💃 pic.twitter.com/uk5tg2HSrz
O’Hanlon has been hailed as “our warrior” time and time again by Greig, and that certainly rung true again this weekend.
The 37-year-old Bessbrook great, who works as a doctor on these shores and excels at the top level of two codes either side of the Irish Sea, played each and every minute of the final and semi-final.
Thunder defeated Team Bath on Friday evening, with O’Hanlon at centre for both showdowns.
Described as “a phenomenal athlete” whose “level of performance has not dipped” through her 22 consecutive seasons of inter-county football thus far by Orchard team-mate Aimee Mackin last week, O’Hanlon is facing into another busy summer.
Yesterday, she was named in the Northern Ireland squad for her third Commonwealth Games in July.
Meanwhile, Armagh find themselves in an All-Ireland senior championship group with holders Meath and Monaghan. The only weekend O’Hanlon is definitely available for football this month is that of 18/19 June, when the Orchard open their campaign at home to the Royals.
Otherwise, O’Hanlon’s focus will be on Northern Ireland’s Commonwealth Games warm-up matches at home to the England men’s team the second weekend of June, and away to Scotland on the last.
- Additional reporting from Richard Bullick.
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