Five Minutes with… Fermanagh’s Aoife Flanagan

Name: Aoife Flanagan

Age: 20

Occupation: Physiotherapy Student

Teams played for: Aghadrumsee and Fermanagh

Game you most enjoyed playing in?

NFL division 4 final in Clones where we won by a point and it was the first game I played in with a large crowd.

Game you least enjoyed playing in?

All Ireland final 2019, bittersweet moment as it was the first time ever playing on Croke park which was a major goal of mine although having lost made it a tough pill to swallow.

What’s the worst pitch you’ve ever played on?

Newtownbutler pitch, although they do have a new pitch under development

Toughest training session you’ve ever been involved in?

Any of Jonny’s preseason endurance phase trainings. Involved a lot of gruelling hill sprints up at Lissan in awful weather. A lot of those trainings tested your mental strength more than physical strength.

What’s your preferred brand of gear?

O’Neills.

Most inspirational individual you’ve ever met?

Martin Timoney my secondary school coach. He taught me the importance of physicality in football and helped me develop the qualities a player needs for the game and pushed me to believe in myself therefore building confidence.

Where do you like to go to celebrate?

Corner bar in Enniskillen is where we ended up a lot after matches last year, small pub so the team basically filled it.

What do you like to do with you are not training/playing?

Considering the current situation of Covid-19 I’ve came to realise that I am fond of baking and strongly miss night out in town with friends.

Which character in any TV show/film are you most like?

Sandra Stark from Game of Thrones, I love Sophie Turner.

Which team mates (from any club/county) are the first you’d invite on a night out?

Molly McGloin, Erin Murphy, Sarah Keenan, Laura Grew, Saorise Fay, Danielle Caldwell, Aine O’Dowd, Katie Jane Prunty… the list could go on really!

Which team mate is the worst dancer?

Sarah Keenan spends more time spilling the drink.

Which team mate is the loudest in the changing room?

Cadhla Bogue always joking about making everyone laugh.

What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen happy in training/during a match?

There is a challenge we do where we have to go into a high plank and face opposite another player. You have to try pull the arm of the opposite player until they fall, this always has the girls laughing as many of us belly flop the ground.

What’s the worst excuse you’ve heard to get out of training and who did it come from?

“I’ve just put tan on” this one’s from an ex county player and has since been the funniest I’ve heard.

Biggest ego?

Eimear Smyth, she has tremendous talent and is so young. She is so well grounded and has the confidence to take free and after free and put them over the bar. A big role model on the team.

Worst/best person to sit next to on the team bus?

Best – Molly McGloin is my travel buddy and good craic when drinking on buses after matches.

Worst – probably myself. I’d tend to talk a lot on the bus when some players like to just listen to music.

Worst/best person to share a room with on away days?

I’ve had two away days therefore unsure who to say. Though last season we all congregated into one room and managed to get into management’s room to steal their bedding and toiletries. Probably the only time we’ve pranked the management rather than the other way around.

Who has the best diet, and who has the worst?

Best – Brenda Bannon and Laura Grew, both girls have fitness pages showing recipes, meal prep ideas and giving nutrition advice.

Worst – I don’t think anyone would have an awful diet as we have a few nutrition seminars throughout the season but after a night out you’d see the majority of us lining up outside the muck truck

Toughest opponent you have played against?

Kate Flood, such a strong player and very hard to dispossess

Best or worst quote you have heard from a team mate/opponent/

manager?

Aoife Scott my club captain religiously says “Lets beat the S**t out of them”. It’s a superstition among us now, she has to say it in the huddle.

Best manager you have played for?

Jonny Garrity, a Tyrone blow in but has brought Fermanagh to new heights and is developing the ladies’ football in the county and setting it to a higher standard.

What frustrates you most about the GAA?

Lack of physicality and having to hold back in games. Strength and conditioning is a big part of preseason where girls are building their strength therefore capable of being more physical.

What’s the best thing about being part of the GAA?

The social side is a big part and a massive miss being in isolation. Being part of the team makes trainings a lot easier and brings the best out of every player as you are determined to improve, as your position on the team is never guaranteed. I love the intensity on game day and the winning factor of course. There is so many opportunities with playing GAA and a enjoyable way to keep fit.