“Deep breath in, deep breath out” - Team Quebec LGFA's World Games adventure

“Deep breath in…deep breath out”

by Jody Zink

Memories of the 2026 GAA World Games in Waterford have already begun to blend together and fade, but they are coalescing around an enormous sense of pride in what Team Quebec LGFA achieved. After 9 months of preparation in 3 different cities, indoors and outdoors in all weather, these 14 players and their 2 coaches come home as deserving winners of the Division 2 Shield.

Anyone claiming to have foreseen this outcome is overstating their powers of prediction. The selection process began with a pool of 40 interested players, an embarrassment of riches that gradually winnowed because of withdrawals due to national team duty, injury, schedule conflicts, and eligibility questions. The final panel of 14 came to know Quebec’s Autoroute 40 intimately as they accumulated hours of preparation in Trois-Rivières, halfway between our two clubs.

If variety is the spice of life, this was one flavourful group. Three players with World Games experience; several players who had only begun playing Gaelic football since the last edition of this tournament. Roughly half francophone, half anglophone, with everybody bilingual to varying degrees. One coach from Sligo whose first involvement with the GAA was in Switzerland; one coach of American origin, with no Irish heritage to speak of, who discovered the sport in Quebec. What this would all add up to in Waterford was anybody’s guess.

After an encouraging Monday that included one victory and two tight defeats, things looked grim by Tuesday afternoon. Defeats against the two eventual cup finalists had left bodies sore and egos diminished. One player had gone to the medical tent as a precautionary measure. Another had coincidentally experienced a painful emotional flashback. And we still had two days left to play.

A cathartic team meeting and a pleasant evening at our twin club marked the halfway point of our tournament. Up to then, we had lost 4 of 5 matches; after that, we would win 4 of the next 5.

Wednesday peaked with a narrow, exhilarating win over the South, a measure of revenge for one of Monday’s two losses against American opposition. It was especially sweet for captain Carly Bennett, who tore through the guts of the defense for two early goals to open the scoring in front of an audience that included her partner and family. She would later admit, “I had to show off a bit with them there.”

The result put us level with the South in the middle of the standings; we would ultimately enter the Shield playoffs due to a single point of score difference. We awaited that confirmation on the beach in Tramore, a chance for a collective exhale before the competition’s final day.

Thursday’s Shield semifinal match was against a new team on a new surface, but our quality showed through and it turned into a rout, with scores eventually coming from as far back as the fullback and keeper positions. Handshakes and high-fives; we were one win away from a trophy.

“Deep breath in…deep breath out.”

Captain Carly says the same words she’s said before every match, one last time. Last match, last legs. The final is longer on the clock and in our minds. Our score slowly starts ticking upwards. Theirs doesn’t, at least not as quickly. Their fatigue shows more than ours; desperate to limit the damage, they drop everyone into defense. Second by second, we grind our way towards full time.

Any victory is the result of millions of small actions, many of them taken off the field and well in advance, most of them unglamorous. As our lead in the Shield final slowly solidified into a trophy, our winning actions stood out for their sheer simplicity. Hand passes to open teammates. Constant communication, on the field and from the sideline. Relentless effort in defense. A 90-second sequence of possession in which every player on the field touched the ball, eating up valuable time and forcing our exhausted opponents to use their energy on defense. The final actions added to the millions we’d already taken as a group, the millions that had built up trust, determination and collective IQ. The millions that led to a trophy.

The highs of victory don’t last forever. This team will see each other again soon, as opponents. They’ll see much less of the Autoroute 40. But hopefully, when the bumps and bruises have healed and normal life has resumed its rhythm, the gleam off their Shield winners’ medals will catch their eye, and they’ll remember what can be achieved when 14 individuals operate as one.