Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Intermediate final: Saturday 5th December 3.45pm in Kingspan Breffni : Down v Antrim
CAITRIN Dobbin is delighted to get the opportunity to play camogie for Antrim at senior level. But it wouldn't have happened except for the COVID 19 situation.
"That's right. I am very committed to dancing. My mother has an Irish Dancing School which has had to close because of the pandemic.
"Normally right through the year, I would be dancing maybe twice a week, Tuesday and Thursday, for three to four hours at a time and then on Saturdays when I take a class myself.
"It is a big time commitment and I do my best to fit in club camogie with Loughgiel. But it can be difficult.
"You could be coming into dancing after a heavy club training session maybe on wet ground over the winter and you need to be careful to do the proper warm up. You need to know what you can do on those evenings and maybe make up for it with extra dancing the next evening."
The nippy wing forward scored three first half points in Antrim's semi-final against Laois and she admits that dancing helps her camogie.
"I suppose dancers would be quick on their feet and able to execute side-steps very well. But at this time of year the heavy pitches take the speed out of every player's legs."
Caitrin was a regular sub in the 2014 season when Loughgiel won back the Antrim title from Rossa. The following season she was in the team and was awarded Ulster club player of the year when the Shamrocks claimed back to back provincial titles. This year they won their seventh successive title and are set to meet Slaughtneil in the Ulster club final at the start of February.
"We won Ulster in my first two years with the club seniors. I suppose I didn't appreciate what that meant at the time. But since then, Slaughtneil have beaten us in Ulster finals and those medals have become more important over the years."
Ironically Caitrin played and scored in an Ulster final for Antrim seniors in 2016.
"Yeah that was a strange one alright. Morale was pretty low with the county team that summer and they were going to withdraw from the championship. Loughgiel stepped in and said we would fulfil the fixtures for the county.
"We played in the All-Ireland Intermediate championship and then reached the Ulster final where we shocked Derry with a late goal. We wore the county jerseys but it was a complete Loughgiel club team apart from Orlagh O'Hara who still wanted to play county.
"I have been asked before to play county and I hated saying no. It has been my ambition to play at that level, to play with and against better players and improve myself.
"But with the dancing, I just don't have the time. When Humpy (Paul McKillen) asked me in September though, there were no more club games until the New Year and then dancing got shut down. So it was a great opportunity for me as there is no juggling of time."
Caitrin had worked with McKillen and Elaine Dowds before, in Cross and Passion College Ballycastle where Dowds is a teacher and McKillen the caretaker.
"Yeah they took us for camogie. We weren't the most successful of their teams, but they were very committed.
"I didn't know Jingo (Jim McKernan, the other member of the county management team). But all three are very positive at training, very encouraging. They talk to you very well individually and collectively and I would say we are all enjoying training.
"You can see that with a lot of players turning up half an hour early. I wouldn't be one of those though as I am not the best time-keeper," adds the Ballymena-based civil servant who has been working a lot from home in 2020.
"We also have bonded well as a team. I suppose there are less distractions this year, no club games. We are totally focussed on the team and everyone can see the improvement week by week. I think having a split season for club and county would be a great idea going forward."
However the speedy forward is disappointed that spectators cannot attend the games.
"We in Loughgiel would be used to having good support at games. There are people there who never miss a match.
"This is my first time playing county and we are in an All-Ireland final. I know my family and friends would love to be there to support and I would love to look up and see them there instead of an empty stand. But it is what it is.
"I think most people expected Down to reach the final. I would know a few of their players, not that well. But they have some excellent players.
"We didn't score a goal in the semi-final and just one against Meath the match before that. There were times when we maybe should have been more ruthless and not taken the easy option of a point.
"I think we will need a couple of goals to win against Down. They were in the final a couple of years ago and know what it takes to win."
