One step at a time on Limerick’s return to top

All athletes hide guilty pleasures but Marian Quaid has no qualms about digging into a pack of Starbursts.

“I repeated the Leaving Cert and they got me through it twice. I am addicted,” she concedes with a broad grin.

Quaid cuts a relaxed figure ahead of tomorrow’s All-Ireland senior camogie Championship quarter-final against Tipperary (Semple Stadium, 5.30pm) but the Bruff defender is no shrinking violet on the pitch. It’s a singlemindedness which has served her well off the field also.

The 21-year-old starts the second year of a physiotherapy degree at University of Limerick next month satisfied the decision to repeat her Leaving — such a difficult one for a teenager, with peers moving on to the next phase of their lives — was the correct one.

“I knew what I was offered I wasn’t happy with. It was either do four years of something I knew I wasn’t going to spend my life doing, or just one year and go back and try and get something I knew I would be happy with. It was a tough decision but I don’t regret it. I always wanted something in healthcare. Even the first year I did (the Leaving) I wasn’t sure. The second year clarified that.”

Not being a goalkeeper probably gives it away, but she is no relation to the Quaids who have dominated Limerick hurling netminding for close to half a century. “It all started with my dad (Mike) out in the front lawn pucking. He would have been saying, ‘both sides now’. I started when I was five with Bruff and have been playing ever since then.”

She always stood out and when the time came, county involvement was inevitable. Quaid was only 16 when a non-playing sub on the history-making All-Ireland minor-winning squad in 2014. Such was her potential that she was called into the senior set-up the following season.

“A lot of those players that were on that panel are now starting on the senior team. Even the year that we won (the minor), Limerick won the intermediate as well. It was a great year but we just haven’t done much since. We are trying to build on that.”

Which is why reaching the knockout stages of the senior championship was such an important hurdle to clear for the Shannonsiders.

“Over the past few years confidence has been a bit of an issue for us. We could have a good league and get to the semi-final for five years in a row and then not perform. We just need to back ourselves a bit more. This year we just took one match at a time. There was no going into Championship (thinking) you have to win two matches. From the start of May it was Offaly, Offaly, Offaly, and once Offaly was over it was Wexford, Wexford, Wexford. It is just one step at a time now.”

They are satisfied with their performances, particularly in defeat to Galway, when Declan Nash opted to give his three dual players a rest, with qualification almost assured. One blip on the road was a heavy loss to Kilkenny but Quaid insists that disappointment was quickly parked.

“Kilkenny wasn’t great. It wasn’t our best performance but Kilkenny are an unbelievable side, you have to give credit where it is due.

“But we can’t dwell on that now, instead we have to learn from it and focus on Tipperary. We usually meet them in the Munster semi-final but we haven’t played them in (the All-Ireland) Championship in I don’t know how long. I know after Kilkenny we were obviously disappointed but we just left it in Kilkenny. Your back is against the wall now and that’s exciting, to be playing knockout camogie. Tipperary are all we’re thinking about.”

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