Ladies Gaelic Football

28 // Ladies Gaelic Football Association HALL OF FAME AWARD - MARIE CROTTY Volume 14 | Issue No 4 | PEIL Winter dragged out the field to do more. "At the start I didn't even know it went beyond the county competition. Training was going very well and it was only a matter of time before we made the breakthrough. Winning with club meant we got used to All-Irelands. In the 90s we either won a club or county All-Ireland nearly every year. "We won the 1986 Junior All-Ireland with Waterford and after that the county went to senior. We were winning All-Irelands with Ballymac and we knew the county would come. At that stage the club team was pretty much the county team – there was only one girl outside Ballymac at that stage, June White (Kilrossanty). "The big breakthrough with Waterford came in 1991, that was a huge day. I can still remember the Munster final, which was nearly our All-Ireland to beat that great Kerry team. They were going for ten All-Irelands in a row, so after that we knew we would do it. To win it was the icing on the cake, and to be captain made it extra special." Near the end of her playing days Marie moved to Dublin after she got married, and soon became ensconced in the Round Towers club. Clondalkin was chosen as their new base due to its proximity to the Waterford road, but since she settled there Marie has found it a brilliant place and great club to be part of. "I just stumbled upon the club and knew nothing about it at the time. I went in one night and met Maria Kavanagh who was playing with Dublin at the time. They were looking for a senior manager and I got involved. "They had no underage structure really until about five years ago, and I was involved in setting that up. That was an important thing because it's flying now. "I was still playing up to last year with the Gaelic for Mothers, but now the coaching has taken over for me. I don't have time to be training, but I'd kick the ball every now and again for a bit of fun." Now that's she's fully committed to the coaching game, her big ambition for the club has a link to her home in Ballymacarbry. The ladies senior club All-Ireland title was named after Marie's late former clubmate Dolores Tyrell, and bringing that cup to Clondalkin is her big ambition. "I would love to bring the Dolores Tyrell Cup to Towers. As well as the title, the cup means so much to us in Ballymac. Dolores was a Ballymac girl and we fundraised for that cup, so for me, I'd love to do that. If I could win that for Towers I'd die happy. "I love the coaching side of things now. I was in with the Dublin U-16s this year as a selector and I'm with the Round Towers underage. I love getting them at 10 or 11 before they have the bad habits. Girls are very competitive and they always want to win." While Marie is credited with winning five All-Irelands as a player for Waterford, the fact that she was out injured for the 1998 final against Monaghan means she will always say she won four. Waterford haven't been back in the All-Ireland final since 2000 and it might seem like a lifetime ago, but Marie is confident they will get back there someday – providing they can turn their underage game into one that can provide a good supply of senior players. "I can see it happening. They are working hard, but the clubs in the county really need to step up. They won't like me saying that but it has to happen. Ballymac are still dominating down there – they've won 37 county titles in a row now, imagine that. "I don't know is there a fear of Ballymac or what, but at least the county team has a good spread now. "Ballymac were beaten narrowly in the Munster (A) final by Mourneabbey, who have gone on to win it (All-Ireland). That's how close Ballymac are now and if they get there it might lift the county again. The talent is definitely there, but maybe they can bridge that gap again with a small bit of work."

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