Dec 15,2024
The increasing popularity and rapid development of women's sport has at least one more crucial step to take - we need to analyse our female games in the same uncompromising detail as we do their male counterparts, according to Sarsfields star Niamh McGrath.
"It's good female sports are subject to the same scrutiny as men's sports, to be honest," McGrath said. "We're calling for equal treatment for years and male players are subject to scrutiny and criticism, so I don't see any issue in women being criticised either, to be honest."
The online atmosphere around sport - particularly on social media - can be a cesspool of over-the-top criticism paired with alarmist over-reaction. But McGrath feels that shouldn't prevent our elite sportspeople from being treated like adults. Players at the top of their game are not looking to be killed with kindness.
"Obviously, some of the stuff you see online is absolutely crazy," McGrath said. "But critical analysis from journalists and stuff like that and from people who cover the sport is completely fine and actually good.
"Because sometimes it can be quite patronising when nobody actually analyses the games and just goes 'Oh, aren't they great girls', like 'fair play to them'.
"I think it's a good thing that women's games are properly analysed and scrutinised like men's games. That has changed since I started out, it will help drive standards up
"It's great people are properly watching the matches and reporting on them, as opposed to just putting in the scoreline and you'd nearly think the freetaker would be man the match in every game. So they're actually properly doing reports. And long may that continue as well for the next generation."
Sarsfields are in their eighth final in nine years and, having lost last year's decider to Dicksboro of Kilkenny, are keen to get right back to the top of the mountain at the first time of asking. Standing in their way are Clare and Munster champions, Truagh-Clonlara, who are the first team from the Banner County to reach the showpiece game.
Needless to say, there's no prizes for guessing that the Galway women are heavy favourites to reclaim their All-Ireland title.
"I don't think there's any pressure on us," McGrath said, flatly. "It was a similar situation last year and we lost to Dicksboro. Truagh-Clonlara mightn't be well known on the national stage, but we certainly know a lot about them over the last couple of years, we've played each other in challenges and there's nothing between us.
"It doesn't matter about them not being in any All-Irelands because Munster is so hard to win. They're a brilliant team, some of their players are unbelievable and if Clare were more competitive at an inter-county stage, you'd know all about them in the same way we do."
McGrath is fully aware that, though her club are under no added pressure, the neutral will usually plump for the underdog which, in this case, means support may most likely lean towards the Clare women. Such is the lot of a perennial finalist.
"It's just human nature. If I was watching an underdog I'd be rooting for them 100% against the favourites," McGrath said. "It's a motivation to spur us on, that everyone wants to beat us. It makes us raise our standards and performance levels
"That's just an extra incentive for us to win that people want to knock us off our pedestal because we want to show them they can't. Dicksboro did knock us off last year and are the current All-Ireland club champions. We want to get back there and have a massive challenge ahead against Truagh.
"It'll take everything to get back as All-Ireland champions."
Having lost the 2020 final to Oulart-The Ballagh of Wexford, Sarsfields would take the next two crowns against, first, Derry kingpins Slaughtneil and then Loughiel Shamrocks of Antrim.
Loughiel provided their semi-final opponent this time around and threatened to steamroll the Tribeswomen inside the first quarter of an hour. Finding themselves 3-03 to 0-03 down after an early Loughiel blitz, Sarsfields were forced to call on every ounce of their experience, know-how and resourcefulness.
"[Loughiel] were brilliant. They tore us apart in the first, 15, 20 minutes and we were lucky they didn't get four or five goals," McGrath admitted. "We're an experienced team and we knew that if we just got playing at all, we would have our purple patch and we just needed to capitalise on that purple patch.
"We got a fortuitous goal. The goal I got was the biggest fluke of all time, but, you need those breaks to win matches. It wasn't just luck. we grounded out. We got our purple patch and picked off some unbelievable points
"We really showed them in the second half that we could play and we kept taking our points. We weren't panicking. At half-time, we weren't panicked at all. We were in a nice position. only four points down, but playing against a strong breeze. Often we play better against the breeze because our forwards have more space.
"There is nothing between us. So we were lucky to win it. But it was luck combined with our experience and doggedness to win.
"When you're out in the pitch, you don't really know, you can't really describe this experience. It just happens. over many years of playing together and going through these situations. But I don't think we were ever nine points down, and actually coming back and winning the match."
There's one more step to take on their way back to that mountain top. But it's the biggest one of all. Truagh-Clonlara are primed for an upset. McGrath and her team-mates may need to dig deeper than ever to claim another All-Ireland crown.
"As the years have gone on, you probably don't get as nervous for matches. Well, you do be nervous, but not with the unnecessary kind of overthinking of the games and stuff like that. At the end of the day, it is only sports, there's no point making too much of it while you're there."
