Buckley going all out to add to All-Ireland haul

TG4 ALL-IRELAND LADIES’ SFC FINAL:

But while present for Monday’s homecoming on the South Mall, Buckley slipped into the night as the celebrations moved onto Milford.

Tuesday’s itinerary concluded with a pub crawl of Larry Tompkins’, Soho and Reardens, again though, no sight of Buckley, the physiotherapist lining out for Donoughmore in the county senior B decider just 48 hours on from achieving All-Ireland glory.

Such commitment she is well accustomed to, such sacrifices she is familiar with making. For the better part of 12 years you see, Rena has known no other way.

The Inniscarra native collected her fifth camogie title a fortnight ago and this Sunday could win a staggering ninth with the footballers. A remarkable haul not least because she is just 27.

“When you decide at the start of the year you are going to give your all to two sports that does mean making sacrifices, that does mean re-shifting your focus almost immediately after every game,” she says.

“It has always been the case after quarter-final, semi-final and final camogie wins that whereas the entire panel would take a few days off, Briege [Corkery], Angela [Walsh] and I would never do that. We would be back out training with the footballers the very next day. If you are going to make that commitment you are going to have to decide that is that. There can be no coming back from that, no short-cuts taken here or there. It is all or nothing.

“To be a dual player was something I always wanted to do. This is my 12th year and I am still enjoying it as much as I did in my first season. After every inter-county game everyone else is afforded a period of recovery, but you have to be back out training almost straight away. You are minding yourself all the time.

“As you get older it would weigh that bit more on you. It is not going to last forever. I know what the dual status entails. I know there are sacrifices, but I am happy to make them. That is my choice. No one put a gun to my head. I am thrilled to be part of both set-ups and am more than happy to be giving the required commitment and making the required sacrifices.”

Buckley was privileged to experience double All-Ireland success in 2005, ’06, ’08 and ’09. It was the camogie disappointments of 2007 and ’12, however that have stayed with the midfielder.

“You want to be coming out of the camogie final and heading into the footballer decider with a win,” she continues.

“Losing in Croke Park, irrespective of the code, is the worst place in the world to lose. When you first taste defeat there you never want to taste it again.

I have been so lucky in the past to be able to experience All-Ireland glory twice in the one September. There is nothing more I enjoy than hearing that final whistle and experiencing that winning feeling. It’s what I play for.”