Exciting times for Swatragh

By Michael McMullan

IT has been a magical few weeks for Swatragh camogs after winning a first Derry senior title in 19 years.

Their attention now switches to this weekend’s Ulster final against champions Loughgiel.

And they are not on their own. The club’s hurlers face Bredagh on Sunday as they bid to book a provincial final berth.

For the camogs, persistence is the key word. They’ve had close shaves in finals but they’ve come home empty handed.

Eoghan Rua, Coleraine were top before Sleacht Néill hoovered up 10 from the last 11 titles.

When the final whistle sounded in Swatragh’s recent final with Sleacht Néill, signalling the end of their famine, there was disbelief almost.

For midfielder Dervla O’Kane, having 12 years of senior camogie under her belt, she was almost wrestling with her thoughts. Was it actually over?

“It’s definitely everything that you wanted and more,” she said of the winning feeling that has now fully bedded in.

“It was amazing to get a result after so many years of being there and thereabouts.”

Niamh McQuillan made a vital penalty save. Mairead McNicholl’s accuracy was unerring and they found the net for the all-important goal.

Behind the key moments was a defensive display and team performance with determination etched across it.

Focus met preparation. It was a matter of showing up. They’d came up short too many times.

“We’d been there before, so it was just making sure that we got over the line this time,” O’Kane said of their breakthrough.

“Obviously there was a good positive attitude about training throughout the year and there has been this last couple of years.”

There was buy in. With players keeping their heads down and battling for a jersey, there was a competitive edge.

It was all worth it with the Martin Mulholland ferried into the village to spark a weekend of celebration with the hurlers bringing their own piece of silverware 24 hours later.

“It’s been amazing,” O’Kane said of the weeks basking in glory.

“There’s been a good buzz and everyone in the village and the community is buying in and getting behind us and supporting us.”

There was a fundraising breakfast last weekend. The excitement has spilled over to the young players in the club.

The u-16s have since won their championship and the u-18s are eyeing silverware. The senior success shows there is a pathway up the ranks.

“There’s been a lot happening and it’s just amazing to have both the senior camogs and the hurlers still training at this time of the year,” O’Kane said.

“They’ve (young players) been coming into the team throughout the year and over the next couple of years there will still be a bit more talent to come. So, it’s just amazing.”

The young players are just in the senior team to make up the numbers. As one of the leaders, O’Kane can see how they’ve stood up when needed.

“That’s what you need at this time of year,” she added, outlining the spirit within the camp. It’s a bond that makes a difference when the tough questions are asked.

“A lot of the girls are like sisters, cousins,” she said. “We’ve just obviously built that and have grown up playing together. It’s amazing to get that when we come into training.”

There is also time to laugh. Manager Eamonn Hassan has found the mix with coaches Gerard ‘Cubby’ McAuley and Bréanainn Kearney.

“It’s really exciting, it’s funny and it’s good craic but once they blow the whistle, we’re ready to go as well and we take it very seriously,” O’Kane said.

It has been a very enjoyable season and they hope it has more to offer yet.

With the difficulty getting challenge games, they kept tipping away while opponents Loughgiel had their semi-final win over Clonduff to help them tune for the final.

“We’ve just been focusing on ourselves at training, putting in a big shift and making sure that everyone is recovered well from the Derry campaign,” O’Kane said of their preparations.

“We just need to be ready to go for the Ulster so we are just training away, keeping the heads down.”

After 19 years, there is the excitement of representing the club on the Ulster stage but there is a realisation of what they are going to face.

“It’s probably the biggest game for a lot of the players in our team that they’ve ever been involved in,” added O’Kane, one of the county players who has graced big days on county duty.

“We want to enjoy that (build-up) as well as get in the mindset for it. Loughgiel are not going to be an easy team.

“They’ve been there, they’ve won Antrim for 11 years and they’ve been competing at Ulster so they’ll be well familiar with it.

“I know ourselves, if we put in the work, we’re more than capable of putting in a performance against them and hopefully have positive results.”