Shauna leads from the front ahead of Roscommon's date with destiny
Roscommon minor ladies' football captain, Shauna McGrath, in Croke Park ahead of Saturday's All-Ireland Minor A final against Cork at Glenisk O'Connor Park, Tullamore. Picture: Ben McShane/Sportsfile
Spend any time listening to Shauna McGrath speak and it is easy to see why she is captain of the Roscommon minor LGFA team.
There is an edge to the Northern Harps woman as she discusses her unbridled trust in the management team, the belief within this team and the potential oozing from Roscommon LGFA teams right now.
As she sat down and chatted to the media alongside vice-captain Laura McSharry, the Roscommon captain feels the bond between this group of players is unlike anything she has seen before. According to McGrath, that comes from Trevor Clohessy and his management team.
“We keep the outside noise out. We are a very close team, and we have trusted the management. I think that has worked so far. Having belief in each other has helped out on the pitch because you will run that extra mile and you will die on that pitch for the girl beside you.
“The management instilled the belief in us. I think they've been the huge believers throughout this whole campaign. Definitely, there have been people who haven't believed in us and probably still don't, but we keep the outside noise out.
“I think the training sessions are always full of variety and I think everything that he does works. I suppose we just trust him in everything that he does. Even when people question it, I think, as a group, we always trust him and trust the management because they have got us this far,” McGrath noted.
The Roscommon captain feels that this group have continuously built upon the solid foundation of natural talent that exists within this cohort of players. For her though, beating Meath on the road in a challenge game just before facing Mayo in the Connacht championship provided her side with a vital infusion of belief.
“When we beat Meath in Meath, I suppose everyone got confidence. We were about four months together. Of course, there were ups and downs through challenge games but that was definitely the time where everyone just put their heads together. They were one of the top teams along with Dublin and when we beat them, I suppose on the journey home, everyone saw the possibility of us having a go at A,” McGrath noted.
There is an impressive maturity in the way McGrath carries herself, especially ahead of the biggest game of her footballing career to date. It is easy to see why she has captained her side at U-14 level and served as vice-captain at the U-16 age grade.
She credits her family for helping her be the first person in 34 years to lead Roscommon in to an All Ireland Minor A LGFA final.
"We have been playing U-14, U-16 and even minor and I think they have been the driving force. You go home to them disappointed, happy, sad; they see it all and I suppose they have pushed us on. I think they are part of who we are, what footballers we are today. They never miss a match or never miss a session,” she stated.
The potential within the county is plain for all to see, according to the Roscommon captain. In what has been a remarkable few weeks for ladies’ football in the county McGrath believes that Roscommon are showing they can compete with the best in all age grades.
“I think there's just so much potential in Roscommon. I think we come from such a small county that everyone just looks at us like the pass over team, and I think just getting to three All-Irelands in one year is massive. I think there is definitely potential in Roscommon LGFA for the upcoming years.
For McGrath, Cork are a side to be respected. However, she insists that despite the magnitude of the occasion, Roscommon must back themselves and call upon their experiences this year against the reigning All-Ireland champions.
“We know they're going to be physical, they're going to be fast, they're going to be the best team we have played. I suppose we will just take them as they come, take them like every team we'll go in against. We are the underdogs going into this game. No one believed in us probably to get to this All-Ireland A (final).
“We have been the underdogs for every single game. We've achieved so much as a group, beating Mayo for the first time in 34 years and knocking Galway out, beating Mayo in the Connacht final and then getting to an All-Ireland final for the first time since 1991. I think it would be massive (to win),” she concluded.
