There's something about Briege

SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR:If they ever get around to making a film about her sporting life - and at the rate she's going there'd have to be at least a couple of sequels - they should probably plump for the title There's Something about Briege.

Granted, it's not altogether original, but when it came to the business of choosing the Irish Times/Mitsubishi Electric Sportswoman of 2005, that there was "'something about Briege" swung the decision in the favour of the woman in question: namely Briege Corkery, winner of a camogie and Gaelic football senior All-Ireland double with Cork.

The "something" that charmed a judging panel already marvelling at the 18-year-old's achievements was the manner in which she responded to making history by winning the double, along with team-mates Mary O'Connor, Rena Buckley and Angela Walsh.

Corkery measured her year not by the number of medals and awards she won - and there were many - but rather by the amount of fun she had along the way. Her commitment to her county was immense, as were the sacrifices she made, but she viewed her involvement in the Cork camogie and Gaelic football senior set-ups as a privilege, not a trial. How rare is that?

"Was the year's work worth it?" we asked her.

"Of course," she said. "Six nights training a week with, more than likely, a match at the weekends, and then you've to make club training and matches. But yerra, it's good old craic, and that's all you want, the craic. Worth every minute," she said.

We failed, then, miserably, to extract from her any moaning about the demands placed on her through the year, the hardships of life as an amateur sportswoman, that when her friends were out socialising she was tucked up, preparing for the next day's game.

Her response was simple enough: she didn't have to play camogie and Gaelic football for Cork - it was her choice, and she was thrilled to do it, thrilled to be selected.

When we caught up with her in October, a week after playing her part in Cork's first senior football All-Ireland success, and a fortnight after helping her county to its 21st senior camogie triumph, she was on her way to camogie training with the Institute of Technology Tralee, where she is in the first year of a course in health and leisure studies.

If she'd so chosen, she had a reasonable-enough excuse for skipping training - she had, after all, fractured a rib in the first 10 minutes of the All-Ireland football final.

"I was caught for breath, when I was running it was piercing in to me, but it wasn't too bad, like," she said of the injury that would have had most "professionals" running for the nearest A&E. But there she was that October night, on the sideline nursing her fractured rib, there for the "craic", and just to keep her team-mates on their toes.

The fractured rib was, she insisted, more that worth it. She played on to the end, helping Cork win their first football title by beating defending champions Galway, to add to the county's first National League title, also won by beating Galway earlier in the year.

By then the teenager from Coachford had played a key role in the camogie All-Ireland final, in which Cork put an end to Tipperary's hopes of a three-in-a-row. Ultimately, Tipperary's hopes died when Cork, who they had beaten in the previous two finals, took a grip of midfield in the second half when Corkery and Gemma O'Connor were switched there by manager John Cronin.

Corkery was outstanding, completing her day with a marvellous late point, one that helped Cork to a 1-17 to 1-13 win.

Even before this year Corkery had nine Munster and six All-Ireland winning medals to her name, at sundry age levels. Now she'll have to make room for the Irish Times/Mitsubishi Electric Sportswoman of 2005 award in her trophy cabinet.

An exceptional sportswoman, with an equally exceptional attitude to, and love of, the sports she plays. And she plays them like few others. Truly, there's something about Briege.