Echo Women in Sport award: Doireann O'Sullivan back to her brilliant best after injury

IN sport, timing can be key and the return to action and top form of Doireann O’Sullivan could not have been timed better from a Cork viewpoint.

The Cork ladies football star has had a bad run of injuries but returned to action in the Munster campaign and showed her worth to the team.

Having played some of both their round-robin games against Kerry and Waterford she was named to start for the Munster final against the Kingdom.

Despite being the title holders many had Cork as slight underdogs against a top-class Kerry side, who recently won the league title.

But O’Sullivan and her teammates were in no mood to let their title go easily and her 11-point tally played a crucial part in their win.

For that display, she is the latest winner of The Echo Women in Sport awards, one of several accolades she has picked up for the month of May.

KEY

She has been a key play for the Rebels for a number of years but has also suffered her fair share of injuries, which led to Doireann having surgery in January.

That meant she was unavailable at the start of this season and was eased back in towards the end of the league campaign, before upping her involvement in the Munster championship ties.

She is now ready to go and can’t wait for the All-Ireland series to get underway, starting next Saturday away to Galway at Pearse Stadium at 7.30pm.

Reflecting on their win over Kerry Doireann said: “That was our goal at the start of the year (to retain the title) and I think we had a decent league campaign and we built on that.

“We took a bit of a break after the league and set our stall out in all three group games and the first-half performance in the Munster final we would have been very happy with.

“We have done video analysis of it and looking back we would be very happy with it but loads to work on then from the second half of that game.”

Doireann said she was delighted to have been back playing after her operation in January.

“I got keyhole surgery in early January but the lads are very understanding in terms of my load and managing that so they had us just right at the right time of year.

They have put a lot into it in terms of sports science and strength and conditioning work and they knew what the main day was for us and I think we peaked for that.

“Things went well on the day and we worked hard and created good opportunities and had a good show of scorers across the board so that was nice.

“But we won the Munster final last year and that was great but the rest of the season was disappointing. I don’t think if we look back this year and have just won a Munster title we will be happy.

ULTIMATE GOAL

“We have bigger ambitions going forward and that is to win an All-Ireland and that is our goal. We’re no different from the other sides in that regard and it will take a lot of hard work to be even in with a chance of achieving that ambition.”

Saturday they get their All-Ireland campaign underway with a tough clash against Galway.

Speaking about this she said: “We have had a fierce rivalry with Galway over the years at county level, and for some of us at club level, so we are very familiar with each other.

“We have also played a lot against each other at underage as well as senior. They have huge pace all over the pitch and they have a nice young energetic team.

“We had to do our homework on them, but a lot of our focus this week and the games is on ourselves. We know our game plan and we want to stick to that and see if Galway can deal with that.

There is huge competition for a starting spot in our team this year and the subs that have come on in the games so far added huge energy and pace and we are all singing off the same hymn sheet.

“The girls on the sideline are putting in as much time and energy as the 15 that start so there is no weakening of the team when the subs are made.

“We have a big panel training and can only have 30 on matchday so there is huge competition to get into that first, before getting on the starting 15 and that is helping to drive everyone on. Everyone is fighting for a jersey and for a starting position.

“In Louise Ward and Olivia Divilly they have two of the best players in the country. They are so comfortable on the ball it always gives Galway an easy outlet and we will give them the respect they deserve.

“But as I said, focus on us and our game plan and hopefully it will see us through to the final."