DUBLIN STAR CARLA Rowe needs just one word to sum up her captain Sin\u00e9ad Aherne: phenomenal.<\/p>\n
It was confirmed last night that four-in-a-row All-Ireland winning skipper Aherne will lead the Sky Blues once again this season, with defensive ace Niamh Collins named vice-captain.<\/p>\n
St Sylverster\u2019s stalwart Aherne made her inter-county debut in 2003, and etched her name into history last December by becoming the first-ever captain to lift four successive All-Ireland crowns.<\/p>\n
She has five Celtic Crosses to her name \u2014 the other coming in 2010 \u2014 along with seven All-Stars, the 2018 Player of the Year award and a remarkable 13 Leinster senior titles.<\/p>\n
Her 2020 season was hampered by injury, though she still played a huge part for Mick Bohan\u2019s side and chipped in with 1-14 in four championship appearances.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could sum her up in one word, phenomenal,\u201d Rowe said at the\u00a02021 Lidl Ladies National Football League Launch today.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s just a leader as a person and a player. She\u2019d be a quiet type of person and she brings that into her leadership role. When she speaks, everyone knows to listen and that it\u2019s serious business.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nSinead Aherne to Captain @dublinladiesg for the 5th year in a row while Niamh Collins is announced as Dub\u2019s Vice-captain #COYGIB <\/p>\n
Read more by clicking link below;https:\/\/t.co\/i6niSywUs3 pic.twitter.com\/Qc7rS7bEnQ<\/p>\n
— DublinLGFA (@dublinladiesg) May 17, 2021<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cShe goes about her business brilliantly and she\u2019s lead us fantastically not just in her years as captain but in all her years with Dublin. She\u2019s always been a leader and someone we look up to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aherne certainly epitomises the group that have sat on ladies football\u2019s pedestal over the past few championship seasons, though each year brings a clean slate.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s something Bohan and his players always say; the Brendan Martin Cup is back in the LGFA offices, everyone starts from scratch again, with Cork,\u00a0Donegal, Armagh, Galway and Mayo among the teams always in contention.<\/p>\n
Talk of five-in-a-row is outside the camp, they\u2019re focused on themselves within \u2014 and getting even better.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year you need to improve,\u201d Rowe assures. \u201cMick will always say we\u2019re the ones being chased. For three years in-a-row we were chasing Cork, and this year we\u2019re the ones being hunted and being chased.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re not improving and not developing much greater than everyone else is, then you\u2019re in trouble. We still think as a group we haven\u2019t hit the best performance that we know we\u2019re capable of.<\/p>\n
\n Rowe at the 2021 Lidl Ladies National Football League launch.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been highlights of it here and there, maybe 20 minutes in different matches, but we haven\u2019t had that one complete performance. We\u2019re striving obviously to improve and reach those goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
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That starts this weekend, as a \u201cvery different\u201d league campaign opens against Waterford.<\/p>\n
The games will come thick and fast, with battles against the Rebels and Tipperary to come in the following weeks in Division 1B.<\/p>\n
\u201cDublin have only ever won one league in our history so it\u2019s not something that we go into lightly,\u201d the 2020 Player of the Year nominee concluded, expecting a \u201cfast-paced\u201d game against the D\u00e9ise at Parnell Park on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something you have to use to your advantage to try different things and use different panel members to try new positions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely something we go out with a goal to win and achieve so we\u2019re looking forward to hitting the ground running and being very competitive in it. With the short three or four weeks we had to lead in, you never know what way these things are going to go so we\u2019ll be trying to learn as much as we can as fast as we can every week.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
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- \n\u2018As a player, she\u2019s exceptional, but she\u2019s an even better person and team-mate\u2019 \u2013 saluting a retiring Dublin star\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n