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A fter previously featuring at the venue in the colours of a different county, Aoife Laverty was thrilled to secure the TG4 All-Ireland Junior Cham- pionship title with Down at Croke Park on August 13. Back on September 24, 2017, Laverty was part of a Derry side that played out a 3-7 to 2-10 draw against Fermanagh in a JFC decider at GAA HQ. The replayed encounter between these two Ulster rivals was held at St Tiernach's Park in Clones a fortnight later and while Laverty kicked a point from midfield, it was Fermanagh who ultimately prevailed with four points to spare (2-9 to 0-11). Despite being a native of Derry, Laverty has strong family ties to Down and subse- quently moved to the Mourne County in recent years. Although an injury sustained in advance of their semi-final showdown with Carlow at Parnell Park in July initially cast some doubt over her participation, Laverty was fit enough to line up alongside namesake Aoife Brogan in the middle of the field for her long-awaited second outing at Croker. This year's junior showdown against Limerick was every bit as intense as her pre- INTERVIEW TEAM OF THIRTY Aoife Laverty talks to Daire Walsh about her journey from Derry to Down and her success in Croke Park earlier in the summer. vious bout with the Oak Leaf women, but a 43rd-minute goal from substitute Orla Swail was enough to secure a 1-7 to 0-8 victory for Down on the day. "I'm originally from Derry, but I've moved to Down. My Dad's side of the family are from there. I have connections there and I've been there for a couple of years. It was hard, but I think the Down girls have been very welcoming to me," Laverty remarked in the aftermath of their All-Ireland JFC showpiece triumph. "It's my second time there [Croke Park], we drew with Fermanagh that year. That was a disappointing match with themselves, but it's great to be on the winning side now. The crowd is just brilliant. "I don't think you can really explain the experience there. It's just brilliant, it's so well organised. I think that's why we were told not to let the occasion get to us, just play the match. That's what everyone did." When Swail who also struck a crucial three-pointer in that last-four win over Carlow at Parnell Park replaced corne foward Eimear Fitzpatrick on 38 minutes in their duel with Limerick, it was part of a double replacement. Having worked hard to overcome a groin injury that ruled her out of that penultimate round meeting with the Barrowsiders, Laverty made way for RGU Downpatrick's Paige Smyth. Clara Mulvenna, Kate McKay and Emily Martin also appeared off the bench to help Down over the line and Laverty feels it is every bit their success as those who started the game at 11.45am in north Dublin. "With the management, we have just such a big panel, it's not about who starts. It's the finishers that come on. I just ran myself into the ground and had nothing left. The management made the best decision and Paige did a brilliant job when she came in. All the subs did. They really lifted the game. It's a team of 30 rather than a team of 15. "I think a couple of us were borderline injured and we were trying our best to get fit, for as long as we could, for the match. It took its toll on us, you could tell we weren't fully fit, but we had the girls to bring us over the line. It was brilliant." While Laverty was able to bring her Croke Park experience to bear on the day, she wasn't alone in this regard. On September 18, 2014, Down were crowned TG4 All-Ire- 24 | AUTUMN 2023 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie