Curtin prepared to go a step further for Rebel success

Curtin prepared to go a step further for Rebel success

SO SUCCESSFUL were Cork’s female dual stars in winning
both All-Irelands last year that people no longer bat an eyelid
at their exploits but one of them is prepared to go one step further
in Sunday’s TG4 All-Ireland ladies football final.

Regina Curtin has had the kind of annus horribilus that would have
defeated most players.

First she broke her wrist back in April and missed out on Cork’s
NFL final defeat of Meath, as well as missing a chunk of her intercounty
camogie season.

And then eight weeks ago, in the last round of camogie’s round-robin
championship series against Tipperary, the UCC student fractured
her elbow in two places. She actually trained twice with the cast
on the run-in to the camogie final but had to watch from the sidelines
as her teammates, spurred on by her unlucky absence, retained their
title.

Yet despite retaining two pins in her elbow for the next six months,
Curtin is back in full training and ready to play any part asked
of her as the Rebelettes chase a unique ‘double-double’ this weekend.

“One of the worst things was that I had the operation the day
that Cork played Waterford in the hurling semi-finals. When I came
around all I wanted was to find a tv to watch it!” Curtin reveals
laughing.

But was she not just tempted to give up and retire for the rest
of the season?

“No way. It has been tough alright,” she admits of an
injury-ravaged season that would have defeated many a professional
athlete. “But thankfully the girls have got us this far and
if I can play any part on Sunday I will.”

Curtin lined out at centre-forward in last year’s football final.
Luckily for Cork her Rockchapel clubmate Deirdre O’Reilly has been
outstanding at number 11 but Curtin could still make a contribution,
even if only off the bench.

Cork’s footballers have five players – Rena Buckley, Angela Walsh,
Mary O’Connor, Briege Corkery, Catriona Foley – who lined out in
the camogie final as well as substitutes Elaine O’Riordan and Curtin.

And they are on their guard against an Armagh side which won last
year’s junior title and have sensationally made the senior final
in their first year in that grade.

“We played them in the league quarter-final in Stradbally and
it was our toughest game,” Cork selector Jim McEvoy noted.
“It was nip and tuck until one of their girls (Maebh Moriarty,
now fit again) unfortunately broke her leg.

“That stopped the game for 10-15 minutes and gave us time to
regroup. We eventually won by four or five points but really that
didn’t reflect how it had been up to then and we know exactly how
good they are.”

Cliona Foley Irish Independent