Four Cork Gaynor Cup winning girls selected to play for Ireland

Fresh from helping Cork claim Gaynor Cup glory at the University of Limerick, four talented young Cork footballers returned to the same venue last weekend to represent Ireland at the prestigious Associations Cup.

Emma O'Neill, Sophia Rice, Quin Twomey and Molly Dennis were selected as part of representative Irish Under-14 squads that competed against Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man in the annual tournament.

The selection was another significant achievement for the Cork players following their recent success in the Gaynor Cup, where they played key roles in Cork's historic triumph. 

While the weekend brought further success, it was also tinged with disappointment for Cork captain Emma O'Neill, who suffered an injury before the tournament got underway.

O'Neill had been named captain of one of the Irish squads but fractured her shoulder during the warm-up before a training session in Athlone, ruling her out of the competition. 

Despite the setback, she remained heavily involved with the squad throughout the weekend and continued to provide support from the sidelines.

"It was great to be chosen for this team and was an unbelievable experience," said O'Neill.

"I fractured my shoulder in the warm-up in Athlone but knew I had to react quickly and get my mindset right.

"It was great that I was still involved and the girls were all very supportive about the injury on and off the pitch.

"It was definitely difficult not to get the opportunity to play for my country, but once again I knew I had to keep a positive mindset."

The tournament featured four teams: Ireland Green, Ireland White, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. 

Molly Dennis lined out for the Ireland White team, while O'Neill, Rice and Twomey were selected for the Ireland Green squad.

Despite O'Neill's absence on the field, her Cork teammates made their mark throughout the competition. 

Rice, Twomey and Dennis all found the net during the tournament, underlining the quality that has made this Cork group one of the strongest in the country at underage level.

The Ireland Green team progressed impressively through the competition and booked their place in the final against Northern Ireland. 

In a high-quality decider, the Green team produced an excellent performance to secure a deserved 2-0 victory and lift the Associations Cup.

Once again, Sophia Rice was among the standout performers. 

The Cork player capped a memorable weekend by getting on the scoresheet in the final, powering home a superb header to help Ireland Green secure the title.  Rice scored five goals and had three assists in the game against the Isle Of Man.

For Rice and Twomey, the victory added another major honour to an already remarkable few weeks following Cork's Gaynor Cup success. 

Dennis also enjoyed an excellent tournament with Ireland White, contributing strongly and getting her name on the scoresheet.

The weekend highlighted the growing strength of Cork girls' football, with four representatives selected from the county. 

Among the 34 players chosen across the two Irish squads, six came from Galway and four from Cork, emphasising the significant contribution being made by the Rebel County to the national underage setup.

Although disappointed to miss out on the opportunity to play, O'Neill remained proud of her involvement and was delighted to see her teammates succeed.

The Ballincollig native, who is 14 years old and a second-year student at Ballincollig Community School, is already looking ahead to her recovery and future opportunities with Ireland.

"My next aim would be to make the national Under-15 team who will be travelling to Croatia this August," she said.

O'Neill expects to be sidelined for between two and four weeks as she recovers from the shoulder fracture, but she remains grateful that the injury did not occur before the Gaynor Cup campaign.

"I was thankful this didn't happen before Gaynor as Gaynor was an unbelievable experience, especially on the pitch, so I would have been extremely disappointed to miss that."

For all four Cork players, the Associations Cup provided another valuable opportunity to represent their country, develop their game and create lasting memories. 

The experience of competing alongside and against some of the best young players in Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man will undoubtedly stand to them in the years ahead.

With the Gaynor Cup already secured and now an Associations Cup title added to the list of achievements, Cork's young stars continue to make headlines and show that the future of girls' football in the county is in very safe hands.