by Daragh Ó Conchúir

Garda Sinéad Meagher watched the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Premier Junior camogie final on TV in the station in Naas, and felt sick.

She had opted out of the panel and thoroughly enjoyed the year but seeing so many of her former colleagues on the biggest stage, as Tipperary just fell short, wasn’t easy.

Twelve months later, Meagher will lead Tipp out onto Croke Park as captain, as they attempt to clear the final hurdle this Sunday against Laois (1.05pm, live on RTÉ2).

Looking back at it now, the 25-year-old Kiladangan full-forward maintains her belief that taking a break was the right call and indeed, beneficial. But that hour and a half was torture.

“I was in work and I turned on the telly,” Meagher details. “Seeing the girls out on the field, girls I’d played with at 16s and minors and stuff, and thinking, ‘God, I made such a big mistake.’ All I wanted to do was get back in December and I was delighted they asked me in and we’re motoring well since.

“There was a few things really (went into the decision). Work was the main thing. I had so much going on. Before that, we’d been relegated from intermediate down to junior and I just needed a break.

“It actually made an awful difference. I actually got a lot fitter on my own. I just started a plan around May of last year, just a bit of PT (personal training) for myself to feel a bit better. I was just tipping away doing my own gym work, my own runs. It was never about getting back in, just for myself.

“When I got back then in December, I knew then how much I missed it. But I enjoyed the year. I think I needed a year off.”

This year, it is the handball has been placed on the back-burner. Again, it wasn’t an easy decision for the former world champion, but she wasn’t going to risk getting burned out trying to fit everything in.

“I got into handball because my brother was playing and my uncle was involved in Nenagh Handball Club. I remember my mam asking Eamonn (Spillane), my uncle, to bring me away for a few sessions. Mam wanted me to play just to bring on my camogie skills and I ended up winning a few competitions. I enjoyed the sport then and I continued it and have won things since. It is fantastic for camogie. It complements it so well.”

In what way?

“It's the hand-eye coordination that’s the big thing for me. I really rely on my hands. I wouldn’t be the most athletic person,” she says with a laugh. “But I think it really brings you on. You see the likes of Mark Rodgers playing with Clare, Richie Hogan playing with Kilkenny, all them boys would have played handball when they were younger. You can see their vision, their hand-passing and their catching out of the air.”

Meagher’s late mother, Ann (without an ‘e’ - its inclusion prompted an irritated response) and her father, Christy have been the primary guiding forces in her sporting life.

“It’s funny. Mam would never have been involved in GAA until we started playing. Dad would have played hurling when he was younger. Dad was the first person to bring me down to Kiladangan and that was how I started, pucking the ball with him down in the field.

“My parents have had a huge influence on me and my career. My mam really pushed me for everything. Every time I put the Tipp jersey on, I am playing for them.

“(Sunday) is going to be a huge thing for me because my mam passed away a few years ago and that was something she always wanted me to do, to play in Croke Park but I’m not going to think about that too much. I’m just going to enjoy the occasion.

“There can be a roller-coaster of emotions there so you have to avoid that. At the end of the day, it’s a match, you’re inside the four white lines like you are in any other game. I know it’s Croke Park, it’s one of the best stadiums in the world, but we’re not going to think of that too much.”

Tipp manager Bill Mullaney has also been a key, enduring figure in Meagher’s camogie life. The man who oversaw such huge improvement in Tipp at senior level until standing down after five year in 2022, returned to inter-county duty with the intermediates this season, having had a term with the county U16s.

Mullaney was manager when Tipp won the All-Ireland minor championship in 2016 – Meagher scored a goal in the final to add to the U16 medal garnered two years before that – and brought her into the senior fold subsequently.

“Since I’ve been involved, Bill has been a selector or manager for many years, from the minor days. He has brought me on in many ways. He’s told me some harsh truths as well which have stood to me now though at the time I probably wouldn’t have appreciated it!

“Bill’s fantastic, all the girls are mad about him. We buy into everything he does. He’s a great man and we’re delighted he’s with us.”

Tipperary reached the Very League Division 2B final, losing by only three points to a Cork team that will be competing in the intermediate decider on Sunday. They then won the Munster intermediate title to set themselves up for the Championship. After a one-point semi-final defeat of Armagh, they find Laois lying in wait.

“Even though we are junior status, I believe that we are good enough to compete at intermediate level. All we can do is try win this to get up there. Our results have given us the belief that we can go all the way. We can’t just show up though, we have to do what we’ve been doing all year.

“We know Laois are very good. Armagh were fantastic as well. It was a great semi-final for us and hopefully it will stand to us. Laois are physical and they’re a fast team. They’ve a lot going for them but so do we. We won’t be looking at Laois, to be honest. We’ll be focusing on ourselves and that’s all we can do.”

“We’re really looking forward to it. We’re enjoying the build-up, it’s all part of it. There is a hype there for us and hopefully we can do our families and clubs proud.”

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