Issue link: http://digitaleditions.uberflip.com/i/1322152
INTERVIEW FEATURE 8 | WINTER 2020 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie towards the end," said Owens. "Mick backed me. Obviously a lot of that was backing me without a lot of game time, apart from in- house matches. I'm just delighted to be on the pitch and contributing." Owens didn't take long to remind the LGFA world of her battling qualities, and three minutes into her first game of the year she hit the net in their five-point win over Armagh. Apart from the goal, she logged an impressive 53 minutes in her first competitive action. "Yeah it was brilliant in the lead up to that Armagh game because I knew I had put myself in the position of potentially getting on, or even starting. "I felt good and I felt strong and then it was the perfect start for me. Noelle put it on a plate for me and thankfully it went in." After attempting to return without surgery to play her role in the 2019 semi-final, Owens faced her long comeback road with real vigour. But there were setbacks along the way, which have made this pre-Christmas return so sweet. "An ACL like this one can be tough. It was going really well for me until March and I was on track for six months coming back. I was back running and everything with them [the Dublin panel] but then I tore the labrum in my hip and that meant I couldn't run for three months. "When I was coming back I was constantly picking up little injuries and it ended up that I needed another surgery in my knee, my meniscus. "Mine wasn't a typical ACL return, but I think (getting back) is indicative of the fact that we're used to playing at such a high level all the time. No matter what you do on your own time, you can't replicate being in training four days a week. "My body has been dragged kicking and screaming to the end of the year, so for me it's an awful lot of relief to have gotten through to the end of this year in somewhat of one piece." Your typical All-Ireland Final day interview takes place in the depths of Croke Park in the media auditorium, but this chat with Owens takes place halfway down the lower level of the Hogan Stand. Any other year, she would have been enveloped by Dublin supporters in that situation, but in those eerie surroundings, Owens found real joy and satisfaction in their convincing win against Cork. "You know, it is lovely in here, but it's just not what you're used to. We have been so lucky in the last few years with the support that girls and boys all over the country have shown on All-Ireland Final day. "Yeah, it's really weird not to be able to get into the dressing rooms, having to change our warm-up routine to suit that and things like that. "It is very odd to know that everyone is at home watching it along in their houses, but we are delighted to be here." Owens kicked a point in each half for Dublin as they managed to overcome Cork's powerful first half to claim a fourth All-Ireland in a row. The champions needed a big second-half performance to win their fifth title, but the relief was obvious afterwards. "I think the whole team needed to lift it a bit, but particularly I think the forwards, we weren't happy with our first half. "We had a 25 per cent return rate from our shooting, it wasn't good enough. I think we had a lot to prove in the second half and I think we did that by keeping the scoreboard ticking. "This is an on-going rivalry with us and Cork. We are used to playing them, we knew they were going to come out strong. "Obviously our plan was not to concede a goal in the first few minutes but I think once we got back in and calmed down, we just reassessed and went back to playing the game, the way we want to play the game. "Cork bring a sort of chaos to the game and we got pulled into it, but once we were able to re-set I think we managed it well." Perhaps it was fitting that Dublin signed off their 2020 season with a rendition of the festive ditty 'All I want for Christmas' on the pitch at Croke Park, a message that was surely directed towards their familiar friend, the Brendan Martin Cup. After such a long road back to full fitness, and the sacrifices she and her teammates have made due to Covid-19 restrictions, Owens warmly welcomes a few weeks' of normality. "After the semi final, Seaghan (Kearney), who is our Statistician and DJ, put on that song, I think almost as a joke. That was all the celebration we got to have as a team after that game, so it was really nice to pull it out there a cappella at the end," said Owens. "I think having a bit of a break will be good. No one would have imagined that this year's Championship would be on until December 20th, Christmas five days away. "I think just for us, it will give us a chance to enjoy the Christmas period – safely obviously – but get a chance to get out and about. One of the big things for us was really keeping our contacts low, so I haven't really seen anyone but my family. "A lot of us will just enjoy the festive time, enjoy the break and then, come January, I'm sure we'll be rolling back in again." Nicole Owens of Dublin keeps the ball from going out over the sideline to continue a Dublin attack during the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship Final match between Cork and Dublin at Croke Park in Dublin