Caoimhe Kelly is a rising star in Galway camogie. Just last year she sat her Leaving Certificate exams. This weekend she will grace Croke Park in the All-Ireland Final with the opportunity to bring home a first title for the county in four years.
Pressure? What pressure?
“We are feeling confident – the vibes in the camp are good. We are in an All-Ireland Final, why wouldn’t they be?” beams Kelly defiantly.
Kelly’s perspective is one beyond her relative inexperience at the elite level. She will not let the occasion overwhelm her.
“We will probably prepare the same and just take it like any other match. Hopefully we get over the line.”
But it’s not just any other match. Galway and Cork have been the teams to beat over the last two years and their games have come down to the wire. Kelly insists that although the squad are confident, they know they are coming up against a top outfit.
“We have definitely learned a lot from our previous meetings with them,” she explained.
“Cork are an unreal team. Every time we play them you learn something new about them. We’re looking forward to playing them again this year.”
The shared goal within the team has been to get the opportunity to avenge last year’s All-Ireland Final defeat. But Kelly reveals that the squad did not let themselves get carried away, or think too far ahead during the season.
“We obviously have been taking it game by game. We can’t look too far ahead or else you won’t be focused on what is in front of you.”
“But once we got to the game against Tipperary we wanted to get over the line and get to the All-Ireland Final. That is obviously where you want to be at the end of the year,” says the Sarsfield’s forward.
“This is what we have been training for all year. We have taken it match by match and now we are here, so we’re looking forward to it.”
Galway’s scoring prowess is one of their main assets with the likes of sharpshooter Carrie Dolan and the clinical Niamh Mallon. Kelly’s rise this season has elevated what was already an elite forward line.
If Caoimhe plays with the same fearlessness at GAA HQ that she has displayed throughout the year, the Tribeswomen will be in good stead.
