An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir June 2015 www.dfmagazine.ie 30 | by CAPT CLAIRE MORTIMER, MILITARY ARCHIVES N ot so long ago the DF ladies Gaelic football team enjoyed very good times and it was difficult to make the panel as competition for the 30 places was so high. the team played annual matches against An Garda Siochána and bank of Ireland (boI). they also enjoyed a successful tour in new york in 2008, which was a great reward for the players. The last fixture against BoI was in 2009 to mark the GAA's 125th anniversary. Following that, BoI could no longer sustain a team and the loss of this fixture left a large gap in the ladies calendar. Around the same time the DF team lost a number of core players and much of the team committee and ladies football went into a decline. Over the last three years, however, there has been a new energy in ladies Gaelic football in the DF. In November 2013 those involved in ladies football, spearheaded by Capt Siobhán O'Sullivan, decided to get a squad together and invite the Garda ladies team to the DFTC for a match to reignite what was once the highlight of the fixture calendar. The game went very well, with some great performances ensuring the DF team enjoyed a tough, competitive victory. This game would mark the beginning of the growth of the current ladies Defence Forces GAA team. Moving on from that game the ladies committee recognised the need for a number of fixtures throughout the year to maintain player interest. Several training camps were organised and opened up to all females in the DF. Out of this a qual- ity team, with a mixture of new and seasoned players, was picked. Former legends such as Louise Conlon, Dee O'Rourke and Niamh O'Mahony had left big boots to be filled but players such as Siobhan Tierney, Grainne Kenneally and Shellie Keogh have slotted seamlessly into them. The now experienced Aoife Herbert, Jackie Kelly, Paula Spillane and Lorraine Whelan remain, ensuring the backbone of the team remains intact. Former inter-county players Capt Padraig Murphy and Capt Ross Glavin, current Kildare star Lt Gary White, and a true GAA man, Sgt Trevor Howard, are involved in coaching and managing the team while I am charged with providing the lead on team planning and organising. The new coaches have brought fresh training drills and ideas to the team and have an excellent ability to motivate players and make tactical decisions at decisive points. The first test for the revitalised team, in April 2014, was against Eadestown GFC in the DFTC. The game was tight at the start but the DF's quality and raw fitness levels allowed the margins to be widened in the second half with the DF comfortably winning following tireless efforts from Sinéad Caro- lan and Shellie Keogh and a rock solid performance from Áine Gilmore at full back. The next training camp allowed the team to gel further and gave Murphy & co the chance to work on areas that had been identified from the game against Eadestown. The team then travelled to Leixlip, where they met a young Confey side. Due to many unit commitments the DF struggled to get a full panel for this fixture and had to make do with just 15 players. However, a solid team performance, with excellent support play and sharp- shooting from players such as Rebecca Coogan, Kim Turner and Paula Spillane, left the Confey side chasing the DF ladies for much of the game.

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