'We said at the start of the year we'd throw everything at it'

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Just three years ago, Drumlane were competing at Intermediate level on the biggest day in the ladies football calendar. That was during the pandemic, with all of the restrictions that went with that.

Now, three years on, everything has changed. The Milltown-based ladies are now officially the queens of Cavan football and they did it the hard way, seeing off a star-studded Crosserlough in extra time in the semi-final before getting the better of an experienced Lacken side in the decider.

For Drumlane full-back and captain Ciara Brady, this felt like the culmination of a journey which began a few seasons ago. At first, she said, the players didn’t dare consider the prospect of winning the top grades of football in the county but as time went on, they began to appreciate their own quality and they made a pledge at the outside of this campaign to give it everything they had.

And here they were.

“It definitely hasn’t sunk in, it’s a mixture of emotions, to sum it up, it is just an achievement that we’ve dreamed of, we dreamed of it so much that we never thought we’d get here and we’ve just proven that we can. And we’re just absolutely thrilled,” Brady told the Anglo-Celt after the game.

“We got close last year. Up until then we never realised how good we actually are. We regrouped at the beginning of the year and we just said let’s just throw everything at it. Thanks to Eamonn (Fitzpatrick) and Ollie (Fay), we finally got what we’ve dreamed of forever.”

Did she think in 2020 that in three short years, Drumlane would be winning the Senior Championship for the first time in the club’s history?

“Absolutely not, we never imagined it. The first year after winning the Intermediate, we were in a relegation play-off which we luckily won. Last year was the biggest realisation that we actually could compete in this competition. Losing to Lurgan by three points and them going on to win it was a real shock.

“Seeing the lads winning the junior as well, seeing how much it meant to the community and to everyone in the club and their families, it gave us a real sort of inspiration.

“I suppose last year, the young lads in the club got looking up to the men’s players and I suppose this is an opportunity for the young girls in the club, for all underage teams, it’s just brilliant for them to be able to look up to players like Bronagh Sheridan, Áine Reilly, and see what they can be capable of. Yeah, it’s a great occasion.

“The trainings we’ve had all year, there is no room for error. We all just rallied behind each other. We were out for each other, there were no solo performances and that’s what got us over the line today.”