THE last time St Louis’, Ballymena appeared in an All-Ireland camogie final, Chloe Drain featured in the half-forward line. That was a dozen years ago when they lost to Kilkenny school Grennan College, Thomastown in the senior B decider.
On Saturday, St Louis’ are back in the same final in Blanchardstown where they meet Leinster champions Gorey CS from Wexford. Drain, now known as Mrs McShane, is the PE teacher and manager of the camogie team.
“I remember it well,” the Antrim All-Ireland intermediate-winning defender said.
“We were the middle game of three finals. St Pius X, Magherafelt were playing before us and [St Patrick’s] Maghera after.
“I remember being aware of the Maghera support arriving midway through the second half of our game and the noise they brought with ‘Ooh, ah, Maghera’. Unfortunately it didn’t help us. We were too far behind by that stage.”
All three Ulster sides lost that day, but McShane is hoping for a different outcome on Saturday.
In mid-January St Louis lost the Ulster A semi-final to Maghera on a pitch in Ahoghill that was sprinkled with snow. However, that result opened a back door for St Louis’, an opportunity they didn’t immediately embrace.
“We hadn’t told the girls beforehand that the beaten semi-finalists would get the chance to play off for a quarter-final spot in the B championship. We were totally focussed on the big one.
“That evening and for a couple of days after, it felt like our season was over. Then we told them that there would be a play-off and asked them what way they wanted to approach it.
“We had to play Cross & Passion [College, Ballycastle] up in Coleraine and it felt very strange. It was as if our girls didn’t care. But they had been beaten narrowly by CPC in the A final last year and I think we began to get our game together in the second half because we didn’t want to be put out two years in-a-row by Ballycastle. But it was a strange game.
“The following week we played a team from Cork that had lost the Munster final three days earlier and you could see that they had the same problem in getting motivated.
“By then we were over that and playing much better and we won well and we did the same thing in the semi-final.
“The girls seem to be enjoying their camogie more in those games; we were winning well and there was less pressure on us and the atmosphere in the panel is much more relaxed, I think.
“This year the A competition was very tight. There were the three north Antrim teams and Maghera and we all felt that any of us could beat each other on a given day.
“So you felt that the cup was on the line, even at the semi-final stage. Every team was up tight and not playing to their full potential.
“You can see that in how Maghera threw off the shackles in the All-Ireland semi-final and beat the holders [Presentation, Athenry]. Yet they were much more contained against us and in the final against St Killian’s [Garron Tower].”
McShane admits that the management team has not looked very much into Saturday’s opponents, something she
says helped them in the previous wins over Coláiste an
Phiarsaigh, Glanmire and St Joseph’s, Lucan.
“We didn’t do that much homework against the Cork or Dublin teams and I think it has meant that we are playing with a bit more freedom and enjoying it.
“Yes, there might be a couple of players that we will make sure don’t get too much ball; their free-taker looks very useful, so we will be looking not to give away too many frees.
“There are a few Brídíní Óga Glenravel players in the panel, including our captain [Sarah Fyfe]. Everyone tells me they played far better outside Antrim when they didn’t know too much about their opponents. They focussed more on improving themselves and playing to their strengths and it got them an All-Ireland.
“What an achievement it would be if those girls could get a second All-Ireland inside six or seven weeks. And they just epitomise the whole team, the whole squad. They are all such lovely girls. I don’t think we will every work with such lovely people again.
“That cohort in Year 14, it will probably be their last time in a St Louis’ jersey and we just want them to go out there and express themselves and enjoy the game. I would just love to see them
get something back for all that
they have put into sport in the school.”
