THE DUST MAY have settled, but the memories of that special day will last a lifetime.<\/p>\n
In late January, Kilkerrin-Clonberne of Galway were crowned All-Ireland senior club\u00a0 champions for the very first time, ending Mourneabbey\u2019s bid for three-in-a-row as they lifted the Dolores Tyrrell Memorial Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was definitely the best win I have ever had in ladies football,\u201d as Nicola Ward beamed at the 2022 Lidl Ladies National League launch last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlaying with the girls that I\u2019ve been playing with since I\u2019ve been U10, it was such a nice community, family feel to it. And the celebrations afterwards were just overwhelming.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven this week, the girls have been going around with the cup to the school, the creches and the church \u2013 even at mass, they were in both parishes with the cup. The celebrations will be still ongoing for another while. But finally nice to win something big at senior level.\u201d<\/p>\n
The nature of the victory must have made it all the more pleasing. The long-time Galway and Connacht champions\u00a0avenged the heartache of defeat to the same opponents in 2019, and did so with a simply stunning performance.<\/p>\n
Kilkerrin-Clonberne finished 1-11 to 1-7 winners in Birr, holding the Cork heavyweights to just one point from play \u2014 scored by Ciara O\u2019Sullivan in the 51st minute.<\/p>\n
Last time out, in their first decider appearance, a single point was the difference after Laura Fitzgerald broke their hearts with less than 20 seconds remaining.<\/p>\n
\n Kilkerrin-Clonberne celebrate after their win.<\/p>\n
Source: Lorraine O\u2019Sullivan\/INPHO<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d all been talking about 2019 in the lead-up to the match,\u201d 2019 All-Star Ward explains. \u201cI was saying, \u2018We\u2019re all two years older, we\u2019re two years stronger\u2019. Even Eva Noone, our corner forward in 2019 was only 16 playing, and those two years stood to her.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo think that she\u2019s still only 18, and just got that bit cuter. I know when you do lose matches it is awful to use them but you definitely do learn from them and you do get that experience from them.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs much as 2019 hurt, we definitely used it to our advantage in the final. It was just so great to get over the line and even sweeter that we got a bit of revenge on Mourneabbey from 2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sweetest part of all? Surely the fact that it was a family affair. Nicola\u2019s twin sister, Louise, was captain, with their father, Willie, the manager.<\/p>\n
The heartwarming scenes captured afterwards said it all.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was unreal. Dad and Michael Divilly, Siobhan, Olivia and Niamh\u2019s Dad, they managed us in 2013 when we won our first senior county title with the club.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously we\u2019ve been nearly trying for a decade to get to the All-Ireland and for them to come back \u2014 I know the roles are reversed this year, Michael was the manager back in 2012 \u2014 was just unreal, and it was just so fitting that they were involved. Our brother, Adrian, was involved in the management as well. Mum was the only one sweating at home by herself, but had a big part to play!<\/p>\n
\nSeaimp\u00edn\u00ed na h\u00c9ireann!! @KClgfa @LadiesFootball |#currentaccount |#LGFAClub pic.twitter.com\/UXmeVdg6kH<\/p>\n
— Sp\u00f3rt TG4 (@SportTG4) January 29, 2022<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cObviously Dad is a bit older than most managers and maybe at the start of the year, people mightn\u2019t have wanted him or thought other people might have been better for the job but I suppose myself and Louise seen literally how much effort and time he put into it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the talk in our house every single day. We\u2019re just so delighted that he did it basically for us and got us over the line.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another who played a big role in the success, and the rise of Kilkerrin-Clonberne through the years, was Galway All-Ireland winning captain Annette Clarke.<\/p>\n
Wearing the number 25 jersey, the long-serving star came off the bench in the closing minutes; her experience and know-how undoubtedly steadying the ship as the club edged closer and closer to the Holy Grail.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, stop,\u201d Ward smiles. \u201cShe is a legend around Kilkerrin-Clonberne, she is just unbelievable. She\u2019s a massive inspiration to us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve looked up to her since we were young. We were in Croke Park when she captained Galway to the All-Ireland in 2004. And to think that she\u2019s still a playing, what, nearly 20 years later is unreal.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gave birth to two beautiful babies in September and was back training with us then at the end of October. She\u2019ll kill me for saying her age, but she\u2019s 40 years old and she just\u2026<\/p>\n
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\nA special moment for Annette Clarke, one of our longest serving players, as she finally got her hands on the Dolores Tyrrell Memorial Cup this afternoon.<\/p>\n
This sweet victory comes nearly 18 years after Annette captained Galway to the All-Ireland Ladies SFC title back in 2004. pic.twitter.com\/SNJhfiHARr<\/p>\n
— KilkerrinClonbernelgfa (@KClgfa) January 30, 2022<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cShe won a free, I think towards the end as well. Look, she has massive experience. Even when she came back in October, herself and another girl, Lisa Gannon, who had a baby, we were like, \u2018Okay, we have everyone now.\u2019 Everyone who could be with us was with us, and I think that was the most special thing about it. No one missed out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clarke was involved with the Galway management team last year, but appears to be absent for 2021 in the wake of Gerry Fahy\u2019s recent departure.<\/p>\n
The Tribe remain without an official manager, with Ward and her clubmates watching from afar as they take a much-needed break from the inter-county scene through the early stages of the league.<\/p>\n
She insists, however, that they\u2019ll be \u201cfully committed to the cause\u201d after a few weeks off.<\/p>\n
Working as a nurse in Crumlin Children\u2019s Hospital, that\u2019s Ward\u2019s main focus at the minute as she continues to split her life between east and west.<\/p>\n
\u201cStill up and down \u2013 the car has some amount of mileage on it,\u201d she laughs. \u201cBetween club and county now, it was a busy year but even after winning the club, it\u2019s so worth it.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes you ask yourself: \u2018Why do you do this to yourself?\u2019 But when you get a win like that, it\u2019s so worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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