By Michael McMullan

THERESA Mellon is hoping it’s third time lucky on Sunday at Croke Park as Antrim face last year’s beaten finalists Louth in the All-Ireland Junior final.

While minor captain, Mellon was part of the senior squad that lost to Wicklow in the 2021 decider at HQ.

She picked up an All-Ireland Junior medal 12 months later but it took a replay in Armagh’s BOX-IT Athletic Grounds to get the job done against Fermanagh after a Croke Park epic ended level.

“It would be nice to be able to experience winning there,” the St Brigid’s player said of Sunday’s showdown.

Antrim had bagged goals galore on their way to promotion from Division Four, league and Ulster final success before taking them to the season’s biggest game.

It’s a special group to be part of. Beyond Sunday, Mellon is going to miss the togetherness of being of a group she’s spent more time with than her family over the year.

There is an excitement in her voice. She loves being busy. The busier, the better.

The only girl in the family, she tagged along to the Cúl Camp with her three brothers, themselves fully immersed in sport. There was also 18 years of ballet.

“I think people are quite like shocked by that because it’s obviously so different to Gaelic,” she said.

“I did that my whole life and recently stopped it. I was in and out of basketball and netball and cross country but Gaelic was the one that stuck the most.”

Her friends were into it. There was a family feel and she got a deeper feel from two years involved in the All-Ireland Féile.

Mayo was the annual holiday destination and they’d be watching games down there. Add in the impact of Cora Staunton as someone to aspire to.

“She’s unbelievable,” Mellon said, referring to Staunton’s senior career from her early teens.

“That is just absolutely crazy but she’s so inspirational. To see her do commentary, it’s great to see women in that role as well.”

It lit a fire. Mellon wanted to play for Antrim. End of. And off she went to throw her with the u-14 trials. There were nerves. And overthinking. Did she do enough?

In the days that followed, her name was there as part of the selected panel. The door to county football was open.

By the time it came to her final year as a minor, Covid restrictions left their season in doubt.

“I got a message asking if I wanted to trial early for the senior team,” she pointed out.

“After I was announced to make that team, they decided they were going to have a minor team.

“That was one of the best years ever. I was the captain of the minor team and playing along with the seniors.”

It was a minor group that has produced well for the current senior. Mellon recites a handful of names who’ll be on the bus to Dublin this weekend. Duana Coleman would’ve been another one but moved to America after the league.

Theresa Mellon in her ballet days

Looking at her underage career and mixing different sports, Mellon can see the transferable skills and movement patterns.

“You definitely take stuff from each sport and you probably don’t even realise it,” she said.

“There are times I’ll jump up that for a ball and people are commenting how I just jumped like a ballerina. Even my managers would say my pogo jumps were unreal.

“Little things, you don’t even clock on that they do play a part. Ana Mulholland and her netball skills, you can just see it on the pitch.

“She probably doesn’t even realise it, but there’s times she’s making interceptions or tackles.

“I was involved in quite a lot of things when I was younger and learnt different skills in each sport and sort of integrated into Gaelic.”

So back to business. Sunday is Antrim’s Everest. After relegation last season, something they’ve not dwelt on, it was about moving forward.

“We’re unbeaten but that doesn’t guarantee us the trophy at the end of the day,” she said of this weekend.

“We still have to work for it and Louth will be thinking the same, using last year’s experience of getting to the final and losing.”

Antrim have more to give and more to prove. Their unbeaten run won’t hold any influence when the teams run out at Croke Park.

They’ve had tough games. Derry pushed them in the Ulster final and they were staring defeat head against Fermanagh in the league final.

Antrim have an eye for goal. Something Louth will be fully aware of and hoping to put the clampers on.

“We know we have goals in us,” Mellon said. “Especially Aoibhinn Monaghan coming on in that (All-Ireland) semi. We needed a goal and she was able to deliver it, just like she did in the league final.”

The Antrim management have been challenging them to score as many points as goals in certain games. Keeping the scoreboard ticking over is important too.

“They’re definitely a good side,” she added of the Louth challenge. “They were playing the division above us this year, so they’ve been playing a higher standard to us for the majority of the year.

“It’s definitely going to be a tough game and I think we’re ready for it. You can look into them as much as you want, but I think it’s also important that we focus on ourselves.“It is 60 minutes of football and one prize, and whatever’s happened previous to this means nothing really now but we’re definitely excited.”