Nicola Ward says the drive for five is not part of Kilkerrin-Clonberne’s motivation this weekend – but admits a desire to keep this golden period on the road is fuelling the Galway club.
Kilkerrin-Clonberne have won the last four AIB All-Ireland club women’s senior football titles – beating Cork’s Mourneabbey in 2021, Monaghan’s Donaghmoyne in 2022, Waterford’s Ballymacarbry in 2023 and Dublin’s Kilmacud Crokes in 2024.
Only first-time finalists St Ergnat’s of Moneyglass in Antrim stand in their way of claiming a fifth consecutive Dolores Tyrrell Memorial Cup.
The mystique around five-in-a-row achievements is deeply embedded in Gaelic Games lore, but Ward says that milestone has not been mentioned in the Kilkerrin-Clonberne dressingroom ahead of Saturday’s Croke Park decider.
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“No, we hear more about the five-in-a-row from everyone outside our group; we don’t talk about it,” says the 2024 LGFA Player of the Year.
“For us, it is about concentrating on the next game, there are girls chasing their first All-Ireland medal. For others, it is their second or third.
“For some of us, it is five. But, as Dad said at the start of the season, last year we got to the top of the mountain but we are back at the bottom. The challenge is to try get to the top again.”
Kilkerrin-Clonberne’s first appearance in an All-Ireland senior final was in 2019, when they lost to Mourneabbey. While they may not have won on that occasion, it was the first hint that something special was bubbling out west.
They have been the dominant force in the women’s club game ever since. But these periods of unprecedented success don’t last forever, so maintaining an aura of near-invincibility is paramount to keeping that flame alive.
“We want to keep going. If we were losing matches, it might be easy [for players] to walk away, but we are on such a good run and there is such a good buzz at this time of year, it stops you from wanting to go off travelling because these are the days that are most important for us.
“These are the days we waited for. It took a while for it to come but it is definitely keeping us all here.
“We probably don’t realise what we are doing for our club and for ladies football because we are very much concentrating on the next game, but I do think we are in this golden era that we are very lucky to be a part of.
“We lost the first All-Ireland final we were in before finally winning our first one, so there is a lot of hurt in the team and we don’t want to go back to those days, arriving back to your club after losing.
“The drive and hunger is there because of those experiences when we were on the wrong end of results.
“It is not just about the players, it is about bringing all the community from the two parishes together. For me, the club is very much family orientated and that is why you are not only doing it for yourself, you are doing it for them as well. You don’t want to let them down.”
The family connection is strong for Ward – her twin sister Louise is also a key player on the team team while their dad, Willie, is the manager.
Kilkerrin-Clonberne enter Saturday’s showdown with the obvious advantage of having truckloads of experience from playing in previous All-Ireland finals, whereas their Antrim opponents are at this stage for the first time.
But while Ward sees positives in terms of logistical elements like where and when to stop for food or feeling comfortable in the Croke Park dressingrooms, she is also aware of the dangerous unknowns – most notably their opponents.
“They have done five in-a-row in Antrim and have had a very good minor team which has done a five-in-a-row too,” she says.
“Maxi Curran is a very good manager who will have them really well prepped. From reviewing them, we know they are very good up front, they have a few sharp-shooters who will need plenty of attention.
“They seem really fit and clinical and are very good in possession, they don’t give the ball away too easily. They are similar to ourselves; I would describe us as having all those attributes.
“Kilmacud were most people’s favourites to get to the All-Ireland final and [St Ergnat’s] took out Kilmacud. They [also] took out Clann Éireann, who were going for three in-a-row in Ulster. So, they are not here by chance.
“It will be a really good battle. It will take a good few minutes to weigh them up because while we have watched them, we have not played them.”
♦ The AIB All-Ireland club women’s senior football final between Kilkerrin-Clonberne (Galway) and St Ergnat’s, Moneyglass (Antrim) will take place on Saturday at Croke Park (4pm).
