Offaly defender Shanahan determined to play the game and embrace the occasion

OFFALY camogie defender Sharon Shanahan will be aiming to focus fully on the game but also embrace the whole occasion when she lines out for Sunday's All-Ireland Intermediate Championship final in Croke Park.

The age old mantra, “play the game, not the occasion” has been drilled home relentlessly to the squad ahead of the final against Kerry but they are also aware that these games don't come around every year and you also have to savour all the ancillary stuff that goes with them.

The Shinrone woman won't be doing a Donegal on it and vacating any pre-match parade early while she is also delighted that her much loved grandfather, Sonny Hogan, from near the Monastery in Ballyskenach, will get to watch it all on television.

“My grand-dad absolutely loves hurling and camogie and is always ringing to ask what the score is. It is absolutely brilliant that he will be able to watch it on telly. He is some man for one man. He will be perched right in front of the television, loving it.”

It is an exciting time for Shanahan who has graduated from University of Limerick in physical education and English teaching and is starting work in Birr Community School in the new year.

She took up camogie at six years of age, forcing her mother and father to play in the back garden, to accompany her to the Shinrone pitch. “My family is fierce sports orientated,” she smiled – her father Philip is a native of Borrisleigh while her mother, Mary Hogan is a native of Ballyskenach.

She played a lot of camogie in Colaiste Phobal in Roscrea, winning an All-Ireland junior camogie title with them some years ago.

On the Offaly camogie team for six years, she speaks with great passion about her career. “I love it. I was asked in when I was 17 and have been used to the commitment and sacrifices of it. I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't love it and it is a privilege to be able to play with your county.”

23 years of age, she came onto the Offaly squad at a stage when they were struggling at senior level, surviving relegation play offs before eventually making the drop to intermediate a couple of years ago. “It was tough. It didn't faze me what grade we were, I was just mad to play with my county. I was nearly nervous going in training because I wanted to perform and play well.

“It is brilliant to be leading into an All-Ireland final now. I do think teams do have their setbacks and tough times but it all stands to you.”

It will be her first time playing in Croke Park. “It is an absolute dream. I wasn't really thinking about it until our manager said this is a dream for everyone. I was like, you are after hitting the nail on the head. When you are out pucking in your back yard with a sliotar, you want to be in Croke Park. You are watching it on telly and want to be there.

“It is a dream come true to be there but it is about playing the match now, not the occasion. It is an absolute privilege to be able to play there. It is a big camogie day out. The junior is on, the intermediate and senior. I have played with University of Limerick so there is a lot of college friends I have playing on the day as well on different teams. It is brilliant to get to see them.”

She agreed that they need to enjoy the occasion as well. “Every county is different when it comes to things like that but it is to take in everything. Everyone deals with everything differently. Myself personally, I like taking in the excitement. There is a lot of excitement and talk going on but when it is coming up to the day and just before it, it is about blocking out the background noise and being able to get your head in the game. To focus on what is there and the task on hand. It is brilliant and it is the first time for a lot of us to play in Croke Park. It is a big occasion and you are going to have nerves but I find once you get that first ball, the nerves leave the body.”

Offaly have been training in O'Connor Park recently to try and get use to the big pitch, stadium feel. Shanahan saluted Offaly GAA for calling off club games to facilitate supporters attending the camogie and clubs for organising supporters' buses.

“It means a lot to us all. When your club is getting behind you and there is one, two, three buses going, it is great. Even my own family and friends. At the end of the day, if training doesn't go well, you are going home to them and they are there for you as well. It is important we acknowledge that and then come the day, you are doing it for them as well. Not just playing for yourself but doing it for everyone around you as well.

“It is brilliant that Offaly GAA are doing that and it is nice to know you have the full support of everyone within Offaly.”

Shanahan would like to see full integration happening. . “Hopefully down the line that will happen . It is to tick all the right boxes and make sure that when they are all integrated, everyone has their say when it comes to an agreement.”

She knows camogie doesn't have the same appeal for spectators as mens' hurling and football but accepts that. “Not that you are kind of used to it but it wouldn't faze me whether there was many at the match or not. I think camogie is coming on a huge amount and a lot of people are supporting it. Even over the years, a lot of camogie players are supporting camogie and you have the GAA getting behind them as well. That shows with the fixtures being changed.

“The crowds are getting bigger and the more publicity we get is great. Having the matches televised is great as well. It gives people the opportunity to see them and the crowds attending matches are growing. Ticket prices aren't as expensive as they were and games are streamed as well so people are able to get to see them.”

She has been very pleased with the way Offaly have went this year. “It is about keeping the head down now and keeping focused on the task on hand but we do appreciate the win we got in the league final. Our hard work started in October last year. For the last two years, we have been with that management which is great. We have righted the wrongs from last year and got past the semi-final stage.

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“We lost to Wexford in Leinster and worked hard after that. We knew then, we needed to put the heads down again and that is what we done in the championship. We had a tough battle against Antrim in the semi-final and we wanted it that bit more on the day. We are all really looking forward to the All-Ireland final. The team with the most fire in the belly on the day will get over the line and hop;efully now, our camogie supporters will drive it on for us on the day.”

Shanahan spoke about the importance of getting back to senior. “It is really important. I think you have to go through the tough times before you can get back up the ladder. If we all stick together as a group, it will drive us on. Over the last few years we have lost a lot of girls going travelling and everything like that. That is the way life has gone and it would be really important to get back up senior but we won't look at that yet. We will look at that after the All-Ireland final.”