Issue link: http://digitaleditions.uberflip.com/i/1466433
INTERVIEW 24 | SPRING 2022 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie A ilish Morrissey was joint-top scorer for UL with 0-4 in their stunning Yoplait O'Connor Cup final victory over UCC. That came just over a month after she starred for Kilkerrin-Clonberne in their currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Senior Club Championship success too. It has been an amazing 2022 already for the sharpshooting forward and next on the agenda is getting Galway back in contention for major honours. The 21-year-old will be a huge addition to Maghnus Breathnach and Fiona Wynne's panel before their tilt at the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship. "It's really nice working with the new management team," said Morrissey. "They're bringing so much more, tactics wise, that we wouldn't have done before. I feel like as a team we are adapting to them very well. "We can see that paying off in training, the things we are implementing. It's good to have that new mindset going into it and new ideas. "We took a break for a while after the club All-Ireland because we obviously haven't had a break for a long time between club and county. But you could see the county set-up is so well organised, we fitted back in so easily, it's nice to have everything in place and we are all getting on so well. So it's good. "Watching Meath, all of them are team players, they work so well together. With Galway now that's what we are aiming towards, working together and everyone being on the same page, everyone working towards a common goal." Kilkerrin-Clonberne was first priority for Morrissey and her club team-mates this year and putting some old nightmares to rest. It was 23 November 2019 when Mourneabbey caused the ultimate heartbreak at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. Laura Fitzgerald's point was the difference as the Cork and Munster greats won another All-Ireland, beating Kilkerrin-Clonberne in the process. But the women from the west finally got it right and Morrissey scored two points to help her team to a 1-11 to 1-7 win at St Brendan's Park in Birr on 29 January. "We have been working towards that for a good while, we have lost to Mourneabbey two or three times in the few years. That loss in 2019 in the All-Ireland final, that drove us on this year to wanting to beat them and get over the line," said Morrissey. "We knew they were going to be physical, they have some great footballers. But our workrate paid off in the end in the final. "We always knew it was in us, we always knew we were capable of winning an All-Ireland. It was that relief to get over the line eventually and to see all of the hard work paying off." It was written in the stars that Morrissey would be involved in at least one more special victory in 2022 and it came quickly when UL retained the Yoplait O'Connor Cup on 12 March. And even though Morrissey is in her third year studying Law at the Limerick University, it was her first time playing in the competition. Like many of her team-mates it was the camaraderie that she will remember most. Ailish Morrissey goes hard out of the blocks in 2022 By DARAGH SMALL