Video: Teammates tell best player 'not to kick the ball' prior to win

By Peter O’ Dwyer

Julia White from Douglas in Co Cork was named O'Connor Cup player of the match in UL’s victory over Queen’s University Belfast on Saturday despite the advice of her teammates not to kick the ball.

White only started playing Gaelic football last year having previously excelled at camogie and claims she doesn’t know how to play the big ball game.

Both White and teammate Niamh O’ Dea completed a remarkable double winning both the O'Connor and Ashbourne cups in what has been a fantastic season for the Limerick college.

In doing so, the two ladies may well be the first to ever land both titles in the same season.

“It’s just unbelievable like, at the start of the year obviously we aimed for this but I do think it’s just down to our hard work,” White said after the game.

“I actually don’t know how to play football; they [her teammates] actually just tell me not to kick the ball. I just run up and down, I suppose - that’s all I do,” she added modestly.

Despite her claims to the contrary White seems well capable of playing however; having found the back of the net and scooped the player of the match award in UL’s 3-7 to 1-9 victory.