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48 | SUMMER 2021 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie W hen Ireland was fully locked down and the life of the nation's inter- county stars revolved around 5km runs, home workouts and Zoom calls, the motivation that drove everyone on was that the summer was coming, and the day when they could once again pull on their county colours and play championship football was coming down the tracks. The Lidl National Football Leagues were always going to be the first competitions to be played, but the light at the end of the tunnel was the dream of championship glory at Croke Park. But to some players and counties, the League can be a little bit like the air we breathe. You don't pay too much heed on it, until it doesn't flow like it should, and then suddenly it becomes a very important thing indeed. Tipperary, Wexford and Fermanagh were the counties who were coughing and gasping when the dust settled on this year's League competitions, as they ended the year trading places with Meath, Laois and Louth respectively. Now they have to try and bounce back in advance of what look like incredibly difficult championship assignments, with different challenges facing each team. Tipperary have been a county in the ascendency in recent years, so working on the back foot is unfamiliar terrain for the Premier County. All-Ireland minor "B" titles in 2014 and 2015 provided a host of players that went on to backbone TG4 Intermediate championship winners in 2017 and 2019, but now manager Declan Carr has been forced to throw his net wider due to injuries to star players Emma Morrissey and Aishling Moloney. "After the loss to Westmeath, we hit the expected low when the realisation came that we'd be playing in Division 2 next year. We took a break for a few days to let things set in," he explained. "We regrouped after a week, the girls have upped the ante and taken more responsibility. We've had two decent challenge games against Laois and Longford and got good performances, so time is a good healer." Moloney and Morrissey are no ordinary losses though. It's hard to hard to imagine a more significant figure in the Premier County set-up than Moloney, who was named as team captain for the 2021 campaign. And since the Westmeath game, Anna Rose Kennedy and Maria Curley have also been set FEATURE KEVIN EGAN EXAMINES THE JOB THAT LIES AHEAD FOR THE THREE TEAMS THAT HAVE TO BOUNCE BACK FOR CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER LESS THAN SUCCESSFUL LEAGUE CAMPAIGNS. WHERE TO NOW? Below: Tipperary Manager, Declan Carr. Above Left: Emma Morrissey of Tipperary in action against Aisling Kelleher and Róisín Phelan, right, of Cork Above Right: Fermanagh manager Jonny Garrity.