Five minutes with Loughgiel’s Megan Coyle

Name: Megan Coyle’

Age: 25

Occupation: Contracts Officer

Teams played for: Loughgiel Shamrocks and Antrim.

Game you most enjoyed playing in?

Ulster Final 2016 vs Slaughtneil. First match in Athletic Grounds.

Game you least enjoyed playing in?

Championship semi-final 2019 vs Dunloy, under floodlights in Ballycastle. The wind was blowing that strong I was hitting a puck out and the wind was blowing it straight back into my hand.

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

Rasharkin’s old training pitch – the grass was that long we couldn’t see the ball anymore. Complete danger zone.

Toughest training session you’ve ever been involved in?

Any training session when Jeff McNeill pulls into the pitch in that grey Citroen has been horrific.

What’s your preferred brand of gear?

Martin Hurls for Sticks and Boots. I’m not too fussy.

Most inspirational individual you’ve ever met?

Clinton Hennessy – from watching him on TV to him making me tea in Corkey and also giving me a few vital Goalkeeping tips.

Where do you like to go out to celebrate?

First night of championship we all head to the Club and then to The Pound. Followed by the next day in Macs.

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

Catching up on TV series, drinking tea and eating.

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

Cinderella. Because I have to clean up when the rest of the girls let the hurling ball go past them.

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

Club – Cara McIntyre. For the tunes, dancing, shots and also the stories she tells.

County – Chloe Drain. Because she loves spending time with the Shams.

Which team mate is the worst dancer?

Caitrin Dobbin – She doesn’t even know how to do her threes or a double jig.

Which team mate is the loudest in the changing room?

Amy Boyle – Her laugh has to be heard to be believed.

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

During training is probably Sarah Anne McGarry being hungover for a 9am training and nearly drowning herself in water and having to make a quick escape to the changing rooms.

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

We have had the excuse of Silage/Milking to get out of training, it did go viral on a few social media pages at the time.

Biggest ego?

Roisin McCormick – Loves a selfie and a mirror pose.

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

Best – Denise McGarry. Simply for the tradition of it, she keeps me calm.

Worst – Shauna Devlin. She doesn’t keep me calm!

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

Best – Eimear Boyle.

Worst – Lucia McNaughton. Any snacks you have will be gone once she has sussed them out.

Who has the best diet, and who has the worst, and what do they consist of?

Best diet – Emma McFadden – Lots of fruit and veg. She is never eating any bad foods when I see her.

Worst diet – Katie Lynn – Loves a chip, chicken, cheese and gravy from The Chip Inn.

Toughest opponent you have played against?

Ursula Jacob

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

Tony McCloskey – ‘We are like African wild dogs. No one knows us or rates us, but we are one of the biggest predators’

He’s like a young David Attenborough.

Best manager you have played for?

A little biased but – Jenny Coyle.

What frustrates you most about the GAA?

Fixtures of matches.

What is the best thing about being part of the GAA?

The memories that are made with your friends who along the way become another family of support for each other.