PLENTY IN COMMON, but lots of differences.
Tipperary captain Samantha Lambert and two-time Galway All-Star Sinéad Burke are both school teachers who have had to revise their respective wedding plans amidst the Covid-19 crisis, and they’ve been drawn together in the group stages of the 2020 TG4 All-Ireland championship.
The Premier county, on their return to the senior ranks after landing the 2019 All-Ireland intermediate championship crown last year, have been pitted against last year’s All-Ireland senior finalists Galway and Monaghan in Group 1 in the race for the Brendan Martin Cup.
The championship will be played out across seven weekends from 17 October, with reigning champions Dublin drawn with Donegal and Waterford. Elsewhere, Munster rivals Cork and Kerry, and Ulster side Cavan, form a group while Mayo, Armagh and Tyrone will provide some mouth-watering clashes.
Lambert and Burke joined the LGFA’s Commercial and Communications officer Jackie Cahill on a Zoom call today to discuss the draws, their own unique similarities and much more.
Burke — who previously played her club football with Ballyboden St Enda’s in Dublin but joined Armagh Harps after making the move up North earlier this year — spoke about how she’s “completely undecided” on her 2020 future with Galway.
I’m totally committed with club at the minute and seeing how the body reacts to being back on a football pitch,” she said.
“I’ve taken an extended break from last year after the All-Ireland final so being back on the pitch with a group of girls and having the craic is a great feeling and it kind of did hit home how much I missed it. During lockdown, I knew everyone was in the same boat and doing their own thing so it didn’t really make a difference to me, but now, with the layout of club and the layout of county, it is definitely enticing.
“You look at it as a small window and if you’re able to give a little bit more, I’ll have to consider it. My first priority now is to see how club goes, see how I’m feeling with it and see if I can commit or if I can do anything for Galway come September.
At the minute, I’m still completely undecided. I’m going to give everything that I can to club and if the body is willing me to go a little bit extra this year, I’ll see.”
The Tribe defender also delved into her personal experience over the past few weeks and months, and how it was “the best premarital course you can get, being in lockdown with your other half.”
With her wedding plans scuppered, she would have been just coming back from her honeymoon if all had gone to plan in 2020.
“We rescheduled and hopefully we’ll get going in 2021,” she smiled. “If the sun shines here, we may get a trip around Ireland”
Tipperary’s 2017 and 2019 All-Ireland winning captain Lambert is in the same boat, with her wedding originally pencilled in during the lockdown.
“We were supposed to get married at the end of May and we called a halt to it in March,” she explained. “It was stressful.
Everyone was going through a time of the unknown during that period but once we called it and said we’d postpone it and push it on further, it was a huge relief to the whole lot. It was just a matter of rejigging the whole thing.
“The hotel down in Killarney were so helpful, and the suppliers. They couldn’t have been more helpful to us and you have to appreciate everything they do. It’s another day to look forward to, it’s something to look forward to after Christmas hopefully if we don’t have to push it on another bit but we’ll cross that bridge if it comes.”
With Lambert’s wedding now rescheduled for next February, Burke’s big day will take place in Clare next April. “All systems go and the countdown starts again, looking forward to it,” the latter grinned.
The teaching duo also reflected on a “challenging few weeks for students and teachers” which came as “a huge learning curve,” and touched on plenty of ladies football memories throughout the interesting 25-minute chat.
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