Lauren McConville was joined in the county panel by her younger sister Aoibheann for a couple of seasons
BY RICHARD BULLICK
SHE has achieved so much in the orange jersey of Armagh over many years but this weekend will have a special place in the heart of All Star Lauren McConville as she belatedly lines out in the first county final of her career for Crossmaglen at the age of 30.
Having defeated Dromintee in the semis, Crossmaglen make a long-awaited return to the Orchard’s domestic showpiece after an 18-year-absence when they face back-to-back provincial champions Clann Eireann in the Athletic Grounds on Sunday (4.00pm).
This has been a long time coming for McConville, who has been wearing the famous amber and black at adult level since the age of 15 and captained Cross to their 2017 Intermediate title triumph with a Player of the Match performance in the final.
One of Armagh’s greatest ever female footballers, Local Women Sport’s LGFA Player of the Year McConville recently received her fifth consecutive All Star nomination and was crowned Ulster Ladies Footballer of the Year last autumn.
She has captained her county, collected no fewer than five Ulster Senior Championship medals with Armagh and picked up the Player of the Match award when the orangewomen won the National League title for the first time ever last season.
McConville has played professionally for Gold Coast Suns in the AFLW Down Under, won the now-defunct interpros with Ulster, was captain of Queen’s University, top-scored in an All Stars game in Texas and scored four goals for Cross camogs in an All Ireland Junior B semi.
But an Armagh Senior Championship final appearance remained absent from McConville’s otherwise spectacular CV up until now, which was especially painful for someone whose family members have enjoyed great success in Crossmaglen colours.
Armagh captain Clodagh McCambridge (left) and vice-captain Lauren McConville will be on opposing sides in the county final
Lauren’s dad Jim McConville captained Cross to the first of their All Ireland titles triumphs back in 1997 while she was still a toddler leading a team in which her uncle Oisin was such a big star, and younger brother Cian McConville has also tasted Armagh glory with the club.
However, it has been a different story for Crossmaglen’s ladies footballers, whose own golden era ended when they were knocked off their perch by Clann Eireann in the mid-noughties, dethroned as county champions in 2006 and then well beaten the next year.
It has taken a long time to rebuild but Cross are now back centre-stage, albeit they will go into this Sunday’s showpiece as unfancied underdogs against Clann Eireann who have been crowned Orchard champions 13 times in the past 19 seasons, a remarkable record.
“It’s amazing to be playing in a Senior county final with the club at long last! I suppose I feel like the start of my adult career with Cross was the beginning of a redevelopment phase for us as the top players who had been so instrumental in previous success moved on.
“We dropped down from Senior, lost an Intermediate final replay in 2013 but then won that title four years later, when again the final went to a replay! Winning that Intermediate title was a big boost, but it was a massive jump going up to Senior,” reflects Lauren.
“But over these last few seasons we’ve really started to find our feet in the top tier as some of those young girls from that 2017 team mature into leaders and there’s a steady stream of talent coming through from underage which augurs well for the future.
“Looking forward to a big game with your club is extra special, sharing that with girls you grew up playing with and others you first spotted at a very early age,” says McConville, who will also be a key figure for Cross in her first camogie county final the following weekend.
Lauren McConville won the LGFA Player of the Year category at the Local Women Sport Awards at the end of April
Lauren is relishing the prospect of sharing the stage this weekend with her younger sister and fellow dual player Aoibheann McConville, who missed out on the celebrations back in 2017 as she was studying in Wales at the time.
“Aoibheann was part of the Intermediate-winning panel eight years ago but wasn’t always there due to university commitments in Cardiff. She missed the replay as a result. It’s been great playing alongside her this year and will be a special family occasion for us on Sunday.
“Thinking back to that 2017 Intermediate Championship campaign, the main thing that sticks out for me is grinding out a draw in the original game against Sarsfields in Mullabrack to force a replay,” recalls Lauren.
“I remember giving Aveen Donaldson a shout to get into the square towards the end of the game and I booted the ball in to her. She managed to get a goal to help seal a draw and we went on to win the following weekend in Clonmore.
“I really feel like that game showed the resilience of our team and I think that has been a common feature for us in general over the years. It has taken time to find our feet at Senior level – it’s a big step up to the top teams – but we’ve kept progressing, getting closer.
“We’ve been very lucky with some of the talent that has come up from underage in recent years. I remember the likes of Faye (Fitzpatrick), our captain now, and Aislinn (McMahon) first coming up to play and it’s great to see the leaders that they have become on our team.
“We’ve a great mix of youth and experience and it’s definitely stood to us throughout the course of this season. We knew we weren’t far away over the past few years but I suppose this season it just really feels like it has all come together at the right time.”
Lauren McConville’s dad Jim captained Crossmaglen to the first of their All Ireland title triumphs back when she was a toddler
After showing some great form in Division One, it felt like Crossmaglen might make the big breakthrough of reaching the county final last season but it proved a bridge too far without McConville, who had headed Down Under to play for Gold Coast Suns in the AFLW.
In their taliswoman’s absence, Crossmaglen were well beaten in what was expected to be a much closer semi-final by championship specialists Carrickcruppen, who reached their 15th county final in 17 seasons, a remarkable record.
This time round though, Cruppen were knocked out at the quarter-final stage by Dromintee on a 3-3 to 0-11 scoreline while Crossmaglen had a landslide 5-23 to 0-1 away win against Shane O’Neills in their last eight tie.
It is always a bonus being on the opposite side of the draw to Clann Eireann so this month’s semi-final was seen as a golden opportunity to reach the county final by both south Armagh clubs. Hosts Cross won 1-18 to 2-6 on an afternoon of poor weather.
“We were absolutely delighted to get the job done last Sunday in a match with so much at stake for both teams. Although we were in decent control for most of the game and were winning by five at half-time, Dromintee did threaten at different points.
“They got a goal at the start of the second half, which gave us a bit of a scare, but we did well otherwise and 2-18 was good scoring from our perspective considering the conditions,” reflects Lauren.
Apart from Clann Eireann, Carrickcruppen and Armagh Harps, Dromintee are the only other club to have contested an Orchard county final since Cross were last in the showpiece, having got there in 2012 when beaten by the Lurgan giants in the decider.
While we must credit Clann Eireann for their sustained domestic dominance, Carrickcruppen for being such consistent challengers over many years and Harps for their purple patch at the start of this decade, Crossmaglen’s involvement gives this season’s final a fresh feel.
They’re such a big brand in gaelic football, largely because of the exploits of the men’s team but now the women are to the fore again in both codes albeit they are going into both their finals as outsiders.
Winning this weekend will be a very tall order against a Clann Eireann team with huge championship pedigree, packed with county players and ambitious to go on and complete a hat-trick of Ulster title triumphs under their illustrious manager Greg McGonigle.
Neither Armagh great McConville nor her Cross captain Faye Fitzpatrick are under any illusions regarding the task which awaits them in the Athletic Grounds but neither of them sound defeatist about facing Clann Eireann in the big game.
“Clann Eireann’s record in Armagh is incredible. They are a great team, so we know we will have to be at our best next weekend. It will be a tough battle no doubt but one we’re really looking forward to,” declares McConville who never shies away when the going gets tough.
Sisters Lauren (right) and Aoibheann McConville after winning silverware with Crossmaglen camogs two seasons ago
Lauren McConville with her national All Star award and Ulster Ladies Footballer of the Year trophy for last season
Armagh gaelic great Lauren McConville is a hero and inspirational role model to young girls in her native Crossmaglen
An 18-year-old Lauren McConville bustling forward for Crossmaglen in their 2013 Armagh Intermediate final
Brilliant gaelic footballer Lauren McConville with one of her All Ireland Player of the Month awards won last year
