IT IS WHAT separates the good from the great. The one-night wonders from serial winners.
Tony Ward is sure to have mulled over the conundrum once the revelry died down after Galway finally won their second Liberty Insurance All-Ireland senior camogie title last year. And he is perfectly aware of the pitfalls, having been the man that oversaw the breakthrough first success 17 years previously.
So how do you avoid burning out quickly and instead go about establishing a lasting legacy, like Wexford managed in recent years, Kilkenny in hurling and Cork in ladies football?
There are many factors. Somehow maintaining hunger and motivation for new challenges is central to the cause.
To be fair to Galway, it’s not like they partied so hard that they fell off the face of the earth after 1996. They lost five finals subsequently. Significantly, the first two of those arrived in 1997 and 1998. Those setbacks left indelible marks and there was no escaping the fact that as the disappointments accumulated, so too did the scar tissue.
So rather than being sated by finally crossing the line, Galway should in fact have more freedom. Believing you’re good enough and knowing it are two different things.
“It’s always in the back of your head (that it mightn’t happen)” admits captain, Lorraine Ryan, the two-time All Star winner who was presented with the O’Duffy Cup last September.
“It’s something you have to get over. It can be mental. The fact that it’s happened now, you have a definite belief. For me, it’s going to drive us on even more because now you know it can be done. It opens all kinds of doors now.”
“There should be absolutely no fear in any player because we know we’re capable of doing it, we can win an All-Ireland.”
The celebrations were long, the memories from them cherished.
“To be honest, it was a special time for family and friends. They’ve seen us for so many years, playing up along, since we’re so small and first of all wanted to play in Croke Park and then obviously wanted to win an All-Ireland final.
“It’s the ultimate dream so it was lovely to see how the family enjoyed it as well as ourselves. Bringing the cup home to my club (Killimordaly) to see my family and friends, but most importantly seeing my 90-year-old granny, Baba waiting with about 10 jackets on her at 1am to welcome us home was an unbelievable moment.”
So the desire is for more of the same. Not to go gentle into the good night but to explode out of the blocks. The league was a disappointment as they failed to make the quarter-finals but there were mitigating circumstances.
With the intermediates also winning their All-Ireland last year, Ward wanted to give many of them opportunities. As a result, the team was rarely settled. The upside though is that there is freshness and that is always important when it comes to longevity.
Critically, it seems the minds are right. Old rivals Wexford are in the opposite corner in Athenry’s Kenny Park and that will only serve to increase the concentration.
“We’re not really looking at it as defending the title. We really have to just strip it back and start from scratch. The girls are very grounded like that.
“The first round of the championship against Wexford is our only goal at the moment. Once we keep focussed like that we should be fine. We won’t be thinking of last year anyway. That has to be parked aside now.”
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