Offaly forward Grace Teehan
LAST year ended in disappointment for Offaly with defeat to Cork in the All-Ireland Intermediate semi-final but it ended on a high note for one of the Offaly stars, Grace Teehan, when she was chosen to receive a Soaring Star award for her sterling performances throughout the year.
The Naomh Brid clubwoman is once again starring in the Offaly jersey as they look forward to next Sunday's All-Ireland final with Kerry and looking to make up for the disappointment of 2024.
“We are very excited. We've had four weeks to prepare, it's a long time but we've relished it and I'm really looking forward to it,” the Naomh Brid player said.
She said she wasn't that concerned with the four week gap since their semi-final win. “It's going to be the same for both teams. We've both had four weeks so we could get good tough training in at the start and then closer to it just polish off and look forward to it. It's given us a good chance to look forward to it, it's our first time in a final for this group, so it's really given us a good chance to chat about it and look forward to it. We've had enough time to enjoy winning the semi-final but then getting down to work on what we needed to work on and putting the hard work in.
“We've had a great year but at the end of the day it's not going to mean anything to us unless we come home with the trophy next weekend,” Grace said.
“Last year was a great year for us as well, getting into an All-Ireland semi-final. We were very disappointed but again, it was new territory for us and we knew what we needed to work on this year, so we have a little bit of experience but the final is going to be new so we're keeping our focus on the end goal,” she added.
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Playing in Croke Park is going to be a new experience for the team. “Croke Park is going to be different and we can't foresee what it is going to be like. But we're not going to let that get to us either, it is just a game at the end of the day and we have to keep both feet on the ground and just go out and play a match. It is my first time to play in Croke Park so it is an honour.”
Offaly last won the title in 2010 and Grace said “I vaguely remember that because I got to play at half time when Offaly were playing but I was very small at the time. At the time I did know that was such a massive occasion so it is unbelieveable for us to get back there and to have the county behind us like they were 15 years ago.”
Grace is one of Offaly's more experienced players having worn the county colours for the last eight or nine years. “I played at wing back when I came on for a good few years but I found myself a new position the last few years and it's nice to be playing anywhere on the team. If it was a case that I had to go back wing back next weekend, I'd do it as well, just to get anywhere on the team is brilliant.”
She was involved in Offaly's latter years at senior level, which were tough for the county. “We had a tough few years finishing up in senior. We were playing against the top teams and you could see how unreal they are and how well polished they are and it was tough for us. But I think the last two years we have really regrouped and if we could get back up senior I have no doubt that we could be competing.”
They went back down inermediate and manager David Sullivan took charge at that stage. “It was a completely new set up. We were down intermediate, we had all new management, a lot of new girls coming in and a lot of girls had left as well, so last year was definitely building. We thought we could get to the final last year and make something of it but when you look back now, we did so much groundwork and it is standing to us that we are at this stage this year.
“We've had great girls coming in over the last couple of years and this year as well, a couple of minors. Kate has been playing the last few games and has been fantastic and it's great for the likes of myself and the more experienced players to have that youth coming in and pushing for places in the team. It's a welcome challenge for us.”
The change in championship structures also helped but it is by no means a simple challenge. “In one way it increases our chances because Cork and those teams were gone but with Down and Antrim coming down from senior to intermediate it was definitely going to be a challenge, so no matter who you are going out to play, you can't take anything for granted. But it has been a good championship.”
The manner of Offaly's win over Antrim in semi-final was a big confidence booster. “We were so excited after that match. We were defintely confident in ourselves and we knew we could get over the line when we needed to, even on those tough days and those last couple of minutes and that's what you're training really hard for, those last few minutes in a match when you need to get over the line. We'll probably need to dig as deep again next weekend.”
Offaly played Kerry in the league earlier this year. “Our first match this year in the league was against Kerry which is a good six months ago now and two completely different teams I'd imagine next weekend going out and totally different circumstances, so we won't be taking anything for granted based on that win.
“Obviously they were playing after us in the semi-finals in Newbridge but I think we were so excited after our own semi-final that we werent really able to take it all in but they are a fantastic side and if you make any mistakes they are definitely going to punish you. They are going to be a tightknit group, they will know each other really well and we will have to play our strengths as well.”
Grace said it is great for clubs like Naomh Brid to have someone representing them in the final. “We met last week and we all had our club jerseys on and it was great to see all the different clubs in the county and myself and Orlaith are so proud to be able to represent Naomh Brid as well, going up to Croke and there was great backing from them as well, even from a small club, it's so nice to see everybody is excited about it just as much as we are.
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“There is a good spread of clubs across the panel and across the team as well. That's great and we will be back fighting against each other for the club in a couple of weeks time.
“I'm loving being involved. After playing senior for so many years and near the end when we weren't competing as we would have like to any more, it is great to get back and be competing with teams and winning it is such a diffferent feeling going out and knowing that you can win when you play to your ability,” Grace added.
“Last year was a great year. All in all we were disappointed that we didn't win the All-Ireland but we performed well in lots of our games. I really enjoyed it last year but even more so this year and we are in a final.
“We've looked back on last year's semi-final many times, too many times, and we don't want to be there again next Sunday so we definitely learned a lot of lessons from that and have worked on that for the past year so that we are not in the same situation again,” she said.
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