'You can’t be distracted': Galway's Charlotte Cooney focused as sister misses semi-final

Charlotte Cooney: 'Football was what we were best at, compared to anything else'. Picture: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

Galway will be without suspended corner-back Fabienne Cooney for Sunday’s TG4 All-Ireland SFC semi-final against Cork.

The Claregalway defender appealed the red card she picked up against Monaghan last time out.

It was heard, by video link, last week but has been unsuccessful, which means her four-week suspension stands.

That’s a blow to the Tribeswomen who have also lost corner-forward star Roisin Leonard during the course of this championship.

But the attitude of Charlotte Cooney to her older sister’s sending off and suspension typifies the sort of spirit they’ll throw at the Rebels in their bid to make consecutive All-Ireland finals.

“During the game you have a job to do. You can’t be distracted by things like that, you have to keep your focus and drive on,” Charlotte observes.

“I thought everyone really stepped up and we played some of our best football in the next 20 minutes after that.”

The Cooneys have some surprising lineage. They may have a prominent Galway GAA surname but both of their parents are from Roscommon and there’s a strong dash of Rossie in their daughters also.

“We actually used to live in Castlerea,” Cooney grins. “I was about 10 and Fabienne was going into first year when we moved. My father would be a massive Roscommon supporter, football is his main sport. We actually played every sport under the sun when we were younger and had to make a decision then on our favourite. My parents just lived in the car with us, bringing us everywhere. They gave up everything for us, we were very fortunate in that.

“Football was what we were best at, compared to anything else. The friends and everything we made from it, it was very hard to leave that for something else. Gaelic was always going to be our first sport.”

Their parents were equally supportive. Their mum works as a bridal designer and Charlotte recalls how she “used to work out of the car while we were at training.” Family pride must have soared when their daughters were the first two off Galway’s bench in last year’s All-Ireland final defeat and they’ve both since evolved into starters.

In this time of Covid, Gaelic football has also proved a great distraction for Charlotte who works in Brown Thomas in Galway and was furloughed for two extended periods.

“I was off work from March to June and then, after July, August and September, was off again. It can be quite stressful thinking about it but, on the other side, it’s been great for my football.

“My time (off) revolved around it really. I tried to keep as much of a routine as I could. I was doing a bit of work with my mum as well. The days flew by and I didn’t feel bored or anything.”

What the truncated 2020 championship has deprived us of is a Galway/Mayo Connacht final derby which usually offers both an ideal test ahead of the knock-out stages.

“Yeah, we look forward to playing Mayo every year, it’s always really competitive, but we just have to deal with what’s put in front of us.”

Galway just squeezed past Tipperary and Monaghan by just a point but Cooney stresses how those close shaves could benefit them now.

“I think we’ve really been tested in the last two games. We really had to dig out those two wins in the end and I think that will stand to us, especially against Cork.”

Meanwhile, there is one change to the Cork ladies football team for Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final against Galway (Parnell Park, 1.30pm). Shauna Kelly comes in at corner-back, with Meabh Cahalane, who started Cork’s final group game against Cavan three weeks ago, dropping to the bench.

CORK: M O’Brien; E Meaney, R Phelan, S Kelly; M Duggan, A Hutchings, E O’Shea; M O’Callaghan, H Looney; E Kiely, C O’Sullivan, O Finn; Á O’Sullivan, D O’Sullivan, S Noonan.

Subs: L Crowley, A Kelleher, C O’Shea, O Farmer, N Cotter, D Kiely, S O’Leary, M Cahalane, E Cleary, L Cleary, A O’Mahony, C O’Callaghan, L Coppinger, K Quirke, C McCarthy.