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A degree of chaos is known to stimulate creativity, but most flourishing environments have coherence at their core.
Dublin should be a camouflage force and threatened to become just that when it reaches the semi-final of the Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship for the first time in 27 years in 2017.
However, in subsequent seasons they have had four different management structures, ensuring that the long-standing problem of player turnover persists.
David Herity ended his two-year term in 2018. Frank Browne got a year before John Treacy and Willie Braine took over the current campaign. The seasoned duo delivered their notice earlier in the month, leaving middle boss Dave Dunning to enter the fray.
Under those circumstances, last Sunday’s performance against a team from Tipperary that already had a championship game and are well established after two consecutive semi-final appearances for all of Ireland and a brilliant league campaign, was promising.
Five points separated the teams at the end and that margin means a draw will be enough against Clare at P. McNamara Park today to qualify for Ireland’s quarterfinals, the Bannerwomen losing nine to the top of Group 3.
It was particularly heartwarming to see Aisling Maher’s growing influence on the Dubs. The former All-Star took a year in 2018 to travel, but has since suffered a terrible streak of injuries, including a horrific accident that threatened her future as an athlete, although she did not heed that threat.
“I still have a plate from my ankle to just below the knee.”
“It’s a nightmare since I’ve been back,” says Maher with the hearty laugh of someone who’s grateful to be able to tie a pair of boots again.
“I haven’t managed to get into anything. I came back early last year, I was doing well, I felt like I was getting in shape and just before the Leinster Championship, I ended up with a stress fracture.” on the head of my femur.
“I was probably a little naive, I was a bit reluctant to accept it and I tried to play and it was not at the level I expected of myself as a result.”
He finally shook that off before last year’s club championship and helped propel St Vincent’s to county and Leinster glory. Two days after the repeated provincial final, Maher fell off his bike.
“I ended up with a double break in my leg and a break and dislocation in my ankle. I sat down, looked down and my leg was pointing to one side and my foot to the other. I went to emergency surgery where I had plates and screws placed. and a bar.
“I still have a plate from my ankle to just below my knee. And I have eight screws and a bar that goes through the ankle at the end. So there is enough to set off any metal detector in an airport.
“They told me I would never play again, but everyone has been told that for one thing or another, hasn’t they? I knew that wasn’t going to happen.”
A revised forecast suggested six months from December, so Maher cut it in half in his own head, aiming for an all-Ireland final in March if Vincent could pull it off. He shrugged, beginning with seated boxing as he watched his teammates training outside. Sarsfields ended the dream of all of Ireland, but Maher returned to the court for Dublin in February.
The initial Covid-19 lockdown that brought all sports to a halt gave him time to improve his fitness and mobility. With a piece of steel in your leg, it will be compromised in terms of flexibility unless you take it off. It is an option when this campaign ends, but she is much better than six months ago.
It says a lot about the mentality of the Dublin team that they were disappointed to lose to Tipperary, especially given their terrible build-up.
“It’s been a difficult year for everyone and everyone has had challenges, but on top of that, we had a change of direction three weeks ago. Those are new game plans, new puckout strategies, the management meets the girls for the first time.
“We were under a bit of pressure the last three weeks. In any challenge game we played, the girls only got 20 or 30 minutes because the management was trying to see a panel of 34 players in a very short period of time.
“From a player’s perspective, it’s a challenge every time you walk in and decide to play under a new direction.”
“Simple things like the position you are playing in or the way they instruct you to play, everything changes when you change management team. You might see girls who weren’t playing and vice versa. Flip the whole setup upside down. Regardless of whether you are upset, delighted or indifferent, it will have an impact on your performance.
“You’re starting from scratch, but it was probably for the best having the championship in sight because it meant we couldn’t spend weeks and months going back and forth between the county board and management and everything else trying to fix things.
“We had a couple of weeks where we were out of practice on our own until someone came in and that could have dragged on if we hadn’t had the pressure from the Championship.”
Disruption has been almost the only constant theme in recent seasons. Maher, who turns 25 next month, illustrates the benefits of regularity well, pointing to Cork with Paudie Murray, Kilkenny with Ann Downey, and Brian Dowling moving to the hot seat instead of Downey after being part of the training setup. last year.
“Being at the helm consistently for a longer period of time allows for a team-based culture and beliefs to form, and something that gets stronger over time and it’s easier for players to buy.
“By comparison, at Dublin camogie, we’ve had four coaches in the last three years. From a player’s perspective, it’s a challenge every time you walk in and decide to play under new management, even more so than you normally go back after. one year between counties.
“If the Cork girls think, ‘Do I want to go in and play again?’ They know exactly what they’re getting. They know the camouflage standard that Paudie Murray expects. They know the level of training and whether or not it will pay off their weather.
“You question that a bit more when it comes to a new coach. You don’t know if his style will suit yours. Will they take a look at you? Is it going to be messy or professional? That’s something we’ve really struggled with the most. last years.
“Orla Beagan came back and played with us last year. She is one of the most talented players in Dublin Camogie and last year was the first time that she and I played together, even though we are about the same age. And she’s not there again this year, we have a lot of it.
“It’s hard to convince girls to commit year after year when there are a lot of changes.”
Maher praises the impact Dunning and his coaching staff have had, and the response of the players to the new information. What happens next is for after this Championship. Doing the last six, in this most horribilis de anni, would be a very positive message.
“Between the leg and the injuries and everything that has been happening this year, we are extremely grateful to be on the field and playing. We are in a very privileged position to be able to train and play.
“But the nature of playing an elite sport is as soon as you are allowed to play, you want to win and hopefully be able to wait for the quarterfinals after that. That’s what we will strive to do.”
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