Captain Riona McConville and her Crossmaglen camogs celebrate after winning the club’s first county title for 22 years
BY RICHARD BULLICK
THE best leaders know when to make their presence count and Crossmaglen camogie captain Riona McConville came into her own during a crunch half-time in the club’s first Armagh Senior Championship final for more than two decades.
The 24-year-old St Patrick’s Grammar School ICT Technician isn’t someone fond of her own voice for the sake of it, but she recognised that this huge game hung in the balance, with whether Cross achieved something special coming down to the next 30 minutes of camogie.
“I’ve found my voice a wee bit more (as captain) as time has gone on, vocalising our ambitions as a team, voicing more opinions to management too, but Saturday was probably the loudest I’ve ever been,” she told Local Women Sport.
“I don’t normally do an awful lot of talking off the pitch but it felt like this was sort of my time to stand up. This group has progressed so much over the past 2-3 years and I wanted us to really drive on and take this opportunity to win a Senior Championship.”
Back in the domestic showpiece for the first time since 2004, Crossmaglen’s interval lead had been halved just before the break by a goal from holders Granemore, who were going for four county titles in a row and would have the wind behind them in the second half.
To many it might have felt like advantage Granemore now, with their extra big game experience, but the undeniable blow of conceding that goal actually focused Crossmaglen minds and helped ensure they made the most of half-time rather than let it slip past.
“Granemore won the toss before the match. It was the first one I’d lost during the Championship, but they decided to play into the wind in the first half and we’d been intending to play with it so that worked out alright,” Riona reveals.
“We started well, and had a real purple patch in the middle of the half (yielding five points in five minutes) which put us eight up, but their late goal meant there was just three in it when we came in and, with hindsight I honestly think that was no bad thing.
“There had been plenty of positives in the first half, in that we were getting scores, though there were mistakes too. Not that we ever expected it to be easy, but that Granemore goal really brought home to us just how much work we still had to do.
“With the breeze being a factor and their experience of finals, it looked like they had every advantage now but knowing we were up against it again gave us that bit more hunger and grit and I think we’re the sort of team that thrives on having our backs to the wall.
“Granemore have a track record of getting over the line in these big games. We felt we had to stop them getting ahead. We got two goals quite early in the second half, which was a big bonus, but there was still an awful lot of time left and defending to do.
“But we’d the likes of Aveen (Donaldson Bellew), who was at the back alongside me. She’s so calm, controlled and collected. Lauren (McConville) was coming down from the full forward line, and Faye (Fitzpatrick) and Aislinn (McMahon) were driving everyone on.
“We knew we just had to keep going but the pressure was intense. They got five scores on the hop at one stage and were bringing on genuine match-winners as subs but there was no negativity in our ranks,” says Riona, who is a work colleague of the Granemore manager.
“Tina O’Reilly, who had been so influential for us, was subbed off by then but her replacement Rionagh Lenaghan caught her first ball. We got through those closing stages and the final whistle brought great relief as well as absolute delight.”
Last time Crossmaglen graced Orchard camogie’s biggest game, Riona was just a toddler and this first success since 2003 understandably didn’t come easily – as she said in a text to me the morning after, this was the toughest game her team have ever played.
The victorious skipper spoke well, without notes, after lifting the Fr Tom Soraghan Shield, and it strikes this outside observer that the stability brought by Riona McConville’s captaincy has been a significant factor in Crossmaglen camogie’s upward trajectory over recent years.
“I don’t like to prepare speeches ahead of finals. But it was fine getting up there, how could it not on such a great day? I wasn’t sure afterwards what I’d even said, but someone remarked it was just like we were in the hall in Cross. It was our day and a great feeling.”
Powerful full back McConville is in her third season as club captain having been retained in the role by new manager Kieran Hatzer after leading the team to an Armagh Intermediate title, provincial success and All Ireland Junior B final under his predecessor Paul Monahan.
She’s an imposing physical specimen, which underscores the impression of being a real rock at the back, but so too does the fact she’s a pragmatic character with quite unflappable presence yet ambitious and determined to drive Cross camogs to fresh heights.
By her own admission, Riona’s reasonably comfortable with the metaphorical armband by this stage, having grown in confidence and authority, though she still tends to wear her leadership relatively lightly rather than being a constant tub-thumping presence.
Her second cousin Lauren McConville is a superstar of the big ball code, while evergreen veteran Bellew is the elder stateswoman, but the emerging generation have very valuable leaders in contemporaries Riona McConville, Aislinn McMahon and Faye Fitzpatrick.
Captain Aislinn McMahon flanked by Riona McConville (left) and Faye Fitzpatrick after Sacred Heart’s 2020 Ulster Schools final win
This journalist recalls photographing the talented trio after Sacred Heart Grammar Newry won their Ulster Schools final against Draperstown opponents in Middletown just before the pandemic, with McMahon – now vice-captain of Cross camogs – as skipper.
Player of the Match against Granemore, Fitzpatrick – whose 1-7 matched her 2-4 in the semi-final upset of Ballymacnab – is currently captain of the Crossmaglen side who this autumn reached the club’s first county final in ladies football for 18 years.
Managed by Faye’s father Francis Fitzpatrick, unfancied underdogs Cross conceded an early goal but fought hard and only lost by a respectable eight points to an exceptional Clann Eireann team tipped to go on to a third consecutive Ulster title triumph.
Rather than losing leaving scars, that recent experience of featuring in an Athletic Grounds decider stood to Crossmaglen come the camogie final as a similar playing group had useful familiarity with the rhythms of a big occasion at Armagh headquarters.
They were also able to draw on the hurt of being beaten in that first fixture to drive desire ahead of the camogie, and unlike most players who lose a county final, some Cross women had to wait just 20 days rather than 12 months for another crack at championship silverware.
“Obviously that defeat (in the football final) was tough and it took girls a few days to get over it but, while I don’t want to call it a trial run for the camogie, I think the experience was beneficial in terms of familiarising us with the Athletic Grounds set-up and so forth.
“And we were able to use that defeat to spur us on. We’re a rowdy bunch of girls and, when we went to (camogie) training on the Wednesday after the football I really emphasised to the group that we didn’t want to be experiencing that deflating feeling of losing a final again.”
Riona has played plenty of football for Cross over the years but was an unused sub in last month’s final, a reflection of the increasing squad depth which is underpinning the club’s current resurgence in both codes.
An established starter for both teams over the years, Lauren’s sister Aoibheann McConville came off the bench in the football final and didn’t make it onto the field during the camogie showpiece, while long-serving regular Orla Donaldson didn’t feature in either of them.
Competitive people always want to play but not getting on in the football final herself had the, admittedly unsought, silver lining for Riona of helping her empathise with those members of the camogie panel who didn’t get a taste of the action against Granemore.
“I think there were about 34-35 listed on each panel. We’d girls who played 60 minutes in both finals and some who played no minutes in either of them. I’d the privilege of captaining in the camogie but hadn’t got any time in the football final.
“That probably gave me a bit of perspective, and an awareness within the camogie of girls who were working hard and are good players so could maybe be disappointed not to be making the starting term or even getting on as subs.
“Sometimes club sides can be very settled in terms of a starting team and then a drop-off in quality or commitment maybe beyond that but we’ve a big group of players pushing each other on and creating healthy competition for places even during a championship campaign.
“Our goalkeeper Lauren Duffy, one of my best friends – this is the first year she has got her starting spot [recent Armagh panellist Sophie Califf was wearing No 16] and even very established players are coming under pressure for places in either team.
“There’s so much young talent coming through now at adult level in both codes, which has helped us become more competitive to the extent of reaching both county finals again after such a big gap but it also augurs well for the future.
“We were up at the club there earlier and there were something like 35 Under 8s out for training!
“Us seniors are now in coaching the underage players. The young ones walking behind us in the (pre-match) parade were actually my wee team, which was lovely. I’m sure seeing our success can only inspire them to want to keep playing and be there themselves some day.
“After Cross won that last camogie county title 22 years ago, it went off the grid a bit. When I took up the sport, the club’s senior side was just being formed again. Now we have a real conveyor belt of talent including a crop of talented U16s to starting pushing up next year.
“We could have taken a few of them up already based on ability, but with our squad depth already there, they were let just focus on their own team for now, which has also been enjoying success.
“When I think back to being their age, there’s no doubt things are on a firmer footing now with regards to the future and I think there’s so much ahead for these girls,” enthuses Riona, a great role model for the emerging generation to look up to.
“Cross ladies football dipped badly too after being so strong in the early-mid noughties but there has been a lot of work done at underage in both codes and that is really starting to bear fruit.”
Club captain Riona McConville and a very young Crossmaglen camog proudly displaying the Fr Tom Soraghan Shield
To put Crossmaglen’s achievements this autumn in context, up until this month Kelly Mallon and Leah McGoldrick – who each did it with Madden and Harps – were the only two women in the whole of Armagh to have played county finals in both codes in the past two decades.
Another 11 can now be added to that list in Bellew, Lauren McConville, McMahon, Faye and Grace Fitzpatrick, Megan O’Callaghan, O’Reilly, Claragh and Caitlin Lenaghan, football vice-captain Eva Casidy and Kellie Shields – all of whom started both deciders.
A total of 22 players togged out for both teams including Riona McConville and Alanna McEntee who started the camogie match but didn’t feature in the football, with the opposite applying to Aoibhe McLoughlin.
Aoibheann McConville came on in the football and Rionagh Lenaghan the camogie, while the six who didn’t take the field in either included stalwarts Orla Donaldson and Sarah Hanratty along with another regular Eimear McMahon, currently studying in America.
An additional 11 players were listed for football only – including starters Caoimhe Dooley, Eimear Kelly and Jessica McCreesh plus subs Ellen Lennon, Mairead Watters and Marie Luckie – while the 13 exclusive camogs included starters Lauren Duffy and Blaithin O’Brien.
Even with so many doubling up, a total of 46 players wore the famous amber and black jerseys for either or both domestic showpieces as Crossmaglen lost 1-16 to 0-11 against Clann Eireann in football before beating Granemore 2-13 to 1-14 in the camogie.
In addition to their impressive production line, Crossmaglen have also benefited from the acquisition of an experienced dual star in the form of Cavan native Tina O’Reilly, who happens to be Riona’s future sister-in-law!
“Tina is from Cavan originally, but is engaged to my brother! They’ve a two-year-old together. I can’t take credit for setting them up, but I definitely did push hard to get her to switch clubs and join us!” declares Riona.
“It’s just a real stroke of luck picking up an experienced county player and we could see, from her first training session, or the pre-season sevens (football) tournament in Silverbridge which we won, just what an asset she would be on the field for Cross.
“She’s such a unique player who brings great aggression and is really energised. Every score is actively celebrated and that’s something maybe we were missing. She has fitted in so well with the girls and was outstanding in both county finals.”
While O’Reilly is a fresh face for Crossmaglen, like in any club set-up there are plenty of established bonds since childhood, not least in the case of that triumvirate of Riona, Aislinn and Faye who have been bosom buddies from attending primary school at the same time.
“We’ve been best friends ever since, we’ve won and lost together with various teams and in both codes. We know each other so well and, as friends first and foremost, can be honest with each other, though a lot of time stuff doesn’t even need to be said!
“Aislinn was camogie captain before me, and vice-captain now, and Faye is football captain at present. That has worked quite well as we can bounce off each other, and especially as there is such overlap and collaboration between the two set-ups.
“I play at the back, Aislinn around the middle and Faye in the forwards so between us we’ve a perspective across the team. I suppose we were always leaders (in underage) growing up and now we’ve been around at adult level for a good while.”
Skipper Riona McConville and her Crossmaglen camogs after victory in the 2023 Ulster B final
However, like Tadgh Beirne’s recent admission that he still regarded Peter O’Mahony as Munster’s natural leader until his retirement this summer even though he himself was provincial captain and a leading light for Ireland and the Lions, Riona respects her elders.
“I still look up to Lauren and Aveen and don’t feel like their leader as such, though they’re totally supportive. Aveen is always there if I want advice and we’re fortunate to have their great experience in our ranks,” reflects Riona.
“When I was first made captain, I was only 21. We were fortunate enough to win the Armagh Intermediate title that season, then our provincial competition and get to the All Ireland B final. It was a great run.
“It was only afterwards that I really thought about being captain through that in terms of the sense of achievement, but there’s no assumption any year that you’ll be continuing as club captain. It’s a huge honour and a responsibility to take seriously.
“(Manager) Kieran (Hatzer) came to us two years ago after Paul (Monahan) had left following our Intermediate title-winning season. He lives in Crossmaglen but had hurled for Keady and played football for Culloville, so understands the dual perspective.
“(Eamon) ‘Silver’ McKee joined us in March. He’s very friendly with Kieran and had coached him in the past, but also has a camogie background having taken the Keady team who were county champions just before Crossmaglen’s last success in the early noughties.
“Kieran had followed us a bit before but Silver didn’t know anything really about us. So it was great to get a set of fresh eyes and it also added a little bit of hunger in that players felt they had to prove themselves over again rather than relying on reputation.”
McConville is enthusiastic in praising the Crossmaglen management ticket, which also includes Yvonne McEntee and Leon McShane. They have a key role in helping look after the people while Hatzer and McKee concentrate on the coaching and tactics,
“Me and (manager) Kieran met up before the season and I think there was a shared belief, which extended to the playing group, that we could achieve something special even though Cross hadn’t been to the county final for more than two decades.”
It certainly felt like Crossmaglen were better equipped to push on from that 2023 Armagh Intermediate title win than on the back of their previous promotion five years earlier, though Senior success has perhaps come quicker than many might have expected.
“We had Ciara Hayes Murphy, who taught me in Sacred Heart, refereeing a league game against Keady early in the season and she was quite encouraging about our potential. She has played and managed and refereed, and would be a respected pundit.
“The talk goes over your head a bit maybe, but we took confidence from doing well in the league. We beat Middletown fairly impressively in our first championship match and then played the Nab (Ballymacnab) in the semis.
“They’d been in the county final something like the last six years in a row so facing them was more of a psychological challenge but we had a comprehensive victory (by 10 points) so that really set us up for facing Granemore in the final.
“In terms of external expectations, people were a bit ambivalent. You were hearing people say that they ‘hoped’ Cross would do it, because it’s nice to see a bit of a shake-up from the same teams dominating every season, but they didn’t necessarily seem convinced.
“That impression came through too from the Camogie Matters podcast in the week leading up to the final, but instead of sowing seeds of doubt, it just gave us that extra bit of hunger. We’re quite a stubborn bunch who quite like the underdog tag and proving people wrong!
“There was a big buzz around Cross though, real excitement about the club being in the first county final for so long and, with the ladies football loss and the boys (men’s senior team) missing out in their semi, we were left flying the flag so to speak.
“Even though it was our first Senior final in so long, I don’t think we had any intention of just going to make up the numbers or to enjoy a big day out or simply pick up experience which could help us challenge in future years.
“We’re a largely youthful team so I’d be hopeful we can keep progressing over the next few seasons but we felt this final was winnable if we could produce the performance we’re capable of when it mattered.
“Considering Derrynoose took us to a replay in the Intermediate final two years ago, going from that to winning a Senior Championship so soon is a big jump but we’ve improved pretty rapidly and really grown with each challenge. Our standards have improved.
“The joint sessions have helped. Having so many dual players can have its challenges but multiple positives too. I think Cross have our own distinctive style of camogie rather than trying to copy or emulate other teams.
“We’ve our diagonal passing, we’ve players running hard off the shoulder and we’re quite physical and aggressive, which has helped coming up to Senior where it’s intense and uncompromising camogie when you come up against a team like Granemore.”
Captain Riona McConville (right) and Aislinn McMahon with the silverware won by Cross camogs two autumns ago
Much as Crossmaglen were absolutely backing themselves in advance, captain McConville admits that the enormity of their achievement has taken time to sink in as the celebrations continued, though there’s still an appetite for the provincial campaign ahead too.
“You can see from the footage taken after the final whistle what it meant to us, it was special coming back to the club later on with the trophy, and we’ve had other bits, but I think it took a few days for it to really sink in that ‘oh God we’ve really won Senior’.
“It’s been exciting seeing the photos and videos going up, and we’ll always have those as mementos of an unforgettable day, but when we got back to training last night (Wed), there was also a positive sense of ‘on to the next thing’.
“When we won Intermediate two years ago, it took a replay of our Armagh final, but rather than just being grateful for getting over the line after almost losing the first day we went on through Ulster and won our All Ireland semi too.
“Whatever happens from here, this will go down as a very special season for Cross camogs but when there’s such a positive vibe, we don’t want our year to be over for a while yet. Rather than just stopping here we’re keen to keep pushing on and see where we can get to.”
Regrading for Orchard clubs means that Crossmaglen will be playing two tiers higher this autumn than when they came out of Armagh as Intermediate title winners in 2023 and competed at Junior B level in Ulster.
They go straight into an Ulster Intermediate final on November 15 against Eglish, a team with an impressive pedigree at this level over the past decade thanks in no small part to the influence of former Orchard captain Ciara Donnelly and her younger sibling Leanne.
While Tryone champions Eglish have much more big game experience, there is some sense that they may be a fading force compared to Crossmaglen being a team on the up, so an intriguing tussle awaits at Pearse Og Park in Armagh on Saturday week (1pm).
“I’m conscious that we’ll be operating two grades higher than we were two years ago, but we’re a very different team now ourselves, not just in terms of players added but the level of maturity and experience, the extra squad depth and so forth.
“We can also take confidence from beating Ballymacnab so well and then overcoming Granemore in the county final, even with that weight of history resting on our shoulders. We’re county champions and now we’ve a chance to go again in Ulster.
“It may not have been the same standard obviously but we enjoyed our run in Ulster two years ago, and on to that All Ireland Junior B final, so the prospect of playing teams from outside of Armagh isn’t entirely new to us and Eglish are already familiar anyway.”
Following her team’s agonising exit from the women’s rugby World Cup last month, one of the things Ireland Player of the Year Aoife Dalton expressed most sadness about in the mixed zone afterwards was that this tight group wouldn’t have another two weeks together.
You get the same sense from Riona McConville that the Crossmaglen camogs are enjoying each other’s company and are keen to prolong this special season by another few weeks, with the prospect of more silverware to strive for.
“We were training the Wednesday before the county final and, especially as a few girls may be going travelling next year, there was a consciousness that night could be our last session and a determination not to let that be the case.
“There’s such a positive vibe in the camp, we’re enjoying ourselves and I don’t think anybody minds being out on the cold, dark nights. We’d hope to be doing it up to December,” declares Riona, in a nod to the fact that there’s an All Ireland series beyond Ulster.
While there’s no danger of Crossmaglen counting chickens, it’s great to see such ambition in the ranks of the new Orchard champions who would appear to have a bright long-term future but are also determined to make the most of the here and now.
Crossmaglen camogie captain Riona McConville with her proud parents Michael and Patricia
Crossmaglen camogs ahead of the All Ireland Junior B final which they reached two years ago
