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8 | WINTER 2019 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie By DARAGH SMALL A head of her 32 nd birthday, Siobhán McGrath's rejuvenation is complete as she prepares to help Dublin to a fourth-straight All-Ireland title. It took a third All-Ireland medal and fourth All-Star before she was recognised as the TG4 Senior Players' Player of the Year. The Thomas Davis midfielder took a break in the middle of her senior career to recharge the batteries. She came back from Australia fresh and ready to hit the ground running, and since then she has added two All-Irelands to her 2010 crown. But winning the hearts and minds of her teammates and opponents certainly meant a little bit more. "It is a massive achievement. It's not one I thought I ever would get," said McGrath. "For me, getting picked by your peers, for the type of player I am, it shows the younger girls if you work hard you don't have to be the most skilful or most dominant player on the pitch. "If you put the hard yards in, and do the hard work, you can get the recognition." McGrath is a native of Aylesbury in Tallaght, near to where the Thomas Davis club is based on the Kiltipper Road. And she worked hard on and off the field to get to where she is today after playing a starring role for the Ladies inter- county team in front of 56,114 at Croke Park. McGrath, an accountant with CBRE in Dublin, first made the Dublin squad in August 2003, when a certain Mick Bohan noticed her talent and work-ethic. "Back then I was very young and scared. Every time I went training, I was trying to do what I was supposed to," said McGrath. "But you could see he even brought that team to a better professionalism than what SIOBHÁN SIOBHÁN McGRATH McGRATH players PLayer of the year: FEATURE INTERVIEW