Michaela steers senior quest
A CLASSY performer that always leads by example, Michaela Morkan relishes the big stage and stylish defender was Offaly's first ever camogie All Star award winner in 2008.
Alan Walsh reports
The following year as the 'Faithful' were crowned All-Ireland junior queens her impressive displays earned her a Soaring Star accolade.
Michaela has scored 0-4 from centre back during Offaly's march to the Gala All-Ireland Inter-mediate Championship Final and she is fiercely determined to secure senior elevation.
"We've always been a junior team and everyone would say 'ah you're only a junior team' but it would be great and for the younger girls coming up as well if we could get up senior. We'd love to have a senior team in Offaly."
_______________
SEE ALSO
Faithful girls fit for action
_______________
Despite her young years, she possesses a wise head and explained she has no regrets about Offaly's decision not to move up senior immediately after the '09 junior triumph over Waterford.
"I think the work that we've done this year will really stand to us if we remain intermediate or if we are senior. I wouldn't regret staying back. I think you've to take every step as it comes. I wouldn't like to have been jumping straight up to senior," commented Michaela.
She added, "I suppose if you are in intermediate for a couple of years it is harder and harder to get out of if because you've the likes of Waterford and Antrim coming up. They are very good teams and you'd really have to be getting out this year if you want to get up senior."
It seems that Shinrone and All-Ireland winning camogie captains go hand-in-hand. In '08 Michaela was joint-captain, along with Tullamore's Alison Dooley, of the Offaly U-18 side that clinched the All-Ireland 'B' title with a win over Waterford in Athy and the following year her club mate Marion Crean lifted the New Ireland Cup.
She commented, "My last time to captain an Offaly team was two years ago. I've had a few good years with Offaly. We've done well at minor level and a few girls have come up through the grades. It is such an honour to be captain. It is hard to replace Marion. I'm so delighted and I hope we can pull through on Sunday and win it.
"I can't wait. We had a long wait between our final group game and the All-Ireland semi-final. We are well up for it. We'll have week of rest before the final and hopefully the day will go well for us."
Amazingly, Michaela has been part of the Offaly junior / intermediate squad for seven years. "I've been there since I was 13. A veteran and I'm only twenty," she joked.
Unsurprisingly she says centre back is her favourite position. She is a tremendous reader of the game, possesses great skill and an excellent striker of the sliotar, providing Elaine Dermody & Co with the ammunition to thrive off.
"I love centre back. I'd be playing mid-field with the club and I'd go back centre back. Give me centre back any day especially with the full back line we have. They are outstanding and if the ball goes in there I've no worries."
Michaela says Offaly won't be daunted by the surroundings of Croke Park since it will be their third consecutive year performing there on All-Ireland Final day. When she started out on her career she never envisaged there being so many big occasions.
"I remember Joachim came in and on his first day training he told us we were going to be in Croke Park in September. And we were looking at him, thinking 'What is this lad on about?' Look at where we are now. He and his selectors have done so much for Offaly camogie. They've really turned it around. And we're just glad to have had three great years."
When asked what traits Joachim brought to the set-up, Michaela replied, "Joachim was an outstanding hurler and everyone looked up to him. When he came in, it was 'oh Joachim is over us'. Before we used to train and we'd get Joachim in for a day and we'd all be 'oh it's Joachim Kelly'. So when he came in we'd such respect for him and he brought professionalism and organisation.
"Joachim, Ger (Fogarty), Bernie (Nugent), Mark (Corrigan) and Catherine (Byrne) over the last three years have done so much for Offaly camogie. They've really turned it around. We get more people training. Years ago we'd have 13 and 14 in training and now we've 25 and 26 in training every evening and it makes such a difference."
When asked what she considered to be Offaly's strengths, Michaela replied, "We have a great goalkeeper and full back line and that is very important. And also we've some very fast forwards like Arlene (Watkins). (Elaine) Dermody has skill the likes of which we rarely ever see. The work rate of mid-field is unbelievable. Tina (Hannon) and Jean (Brady) are both very fast. We've very fast forwards and they are all able to get in and get goals."
She stressed that Offaly will have perform consistently over the sixty minutes if they are to overcome Wexford.
"Losing concentration does seem to happen to us. Even in the semi-final, ten minutes into the second half we did switch off and Derry started to get the scores. And please God we'll just keep the momentum going in the All-Ireland Final. We know that is our downfall so we'll do our best to keep it going and keep focused on the match.
"The match against Derry was very tough. They were very big, strong girls towards us. We are a small, skilful team. They had skill and strength. And we let them back into it near the end. There was only two points in it and we were so relieved afterwards. The ball was in their forward line for most of the last ten minutes. I suppose the semi is the hardest to get through."
The Offaly rearguard coped admirably with a barrage of late Derry pressure and Michaela remarked, "I was even saying to my father that we never actually drove a ball out the field. It was constant blocking and hooking, and tipping and tapping. It wasn't actually a direct game. It was just pull and clear it on the ground.
"Lorraine Keena was outstanding at full back, only for her and Audrey (Kennedy) in the goals. Our two wing backs (Sheila Sullivan & Linda Sullivan) did so much good work. They deserve an awful lot of praise. They really worked hard and all the hooking and blocking was outstanding."
Twice this year, Offaly have stumbled to Wexford, however, this doesn't unduly concern Michaela and she feels they'll prevail if they are on song.
"I don't think it really makes a difference. We'll be going into the final as underdogs, which is probably a good thing for us. We are going to have to play well and be up for it because Wexford are an excellent team and they've some great players. Everybody needs to be on form if we are to win it.
"Wexford have a very good forward line and the last time we played them they dragged us out very far and their tactics worked. They really opened up our whole team and made lots of room for the forwards to get in. So we'll just have to try and hold them and hold our positions."
The prospect of accepting the Jack McGrath Cup from Camogie Association President Joan O'Flynn has crossed Michaela's mind.
"I obviously think about it! It would mean the world to me. We have put in a lot of work and we've trained hard all year. It would be pay back for the all the work we've put in. The girls never miss training and it would be great for the management as well."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Weather for Tullamore
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Heavy snow
Temperature: -3 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: West
