Kilkenny's Collette Dormer happy to play the waiting game

Kilkenny's Collette Dormer 

Kilkenny camogie star Collette Dormer has surfed the changes and challenges of the coronavirus pandemic like thousands of others.  

With her mother, Ann, having survived a two-year cancer ordeal, her welfare in the midst of a global pandemic was the family's primary concern.

After that, there was the planned wedding to Liam Barron. Actually, scratch that. The wedding was third, after Camogie.

Postponed nuptials have been part of Covid -19’s collateral damage. 

While most of the postponements were due directly to the heavy restrictions in place due to COVID, it was the restructure of the All-Ireland camogie championships that forced this rearrangement. “Our first date was November 20 but we postponed it months ago when we found out the Camogie was going ahead. It’s funny, people think it was Covid that I had to postpone for.” She pauses to giggle. “But technically, it was because of the camogie.” 

A Tullogher-Rosbercon man, Liam gets it. So November 2021 it is.

It is illustrative of the commitment of Dormer and her peers at elite sporting level. The 31-year-old architect technician is putting far more into camogie now than she did when brought into the senior squad 14 years ago as a superb talent with two Minor and one U16 medal already packed away. The full set was completed with the addition of intermediate and senior titles, the latter in 2016 twinned with a second All-Star for the Paulstown ace. There have been six senior final losses too and all along, the levels of preparation came into line with high performance sport and though many of her former colleagues have fallen away for different reasons, she is feeling better than ever.

“We’re not that old now”, she exclaims with a laugh ahead of Saturday's All-Ireland final with Galway at Croke Park. 

“Myself and (Anne) Dalton are pushing all the young ones!  You’re only as young as you feel or as old as you feel. I’m fairly good and happy to stay going. When the body starts breaking down you can start thinking about stepping away but I’m delighted to be still contributing this year.” 

Kilkenny had just nine of the team that started last year’s All-Ireland final defeat by Galway starting against Cork in the semi-final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh 13 days ago. 

That is significant turnover and given that so many less experienced players have come into the fold, it seems, you venture, a considerable feat to have reached another All-Ireland given the concerns raised in some quarters about this team's waning powers. “When the final whistle went, the feeling was savage. You’re 14 months trying to get back to Croke Park to try right the wrongs of last year. That game was pure emotional for us. Kelly Ann Doyle coming on with 15 minutes to go. Who could have predicted in March, that she would have been playing in an All-Ireland semi-final? It was against Cork that she did her cruciate just before Lockdown and to come on in that game was huge. It just shows the hard work and dedication that she put in.” 

Afterwards, many of the players made their way to Katie Power, the star attacker who has ruled out by a broken knee cap.

“Many of us are playing with Katie since we’re 12, 13 years of age – it was just heartbreaking that she wasn’t on the field with us. At the same time she was trying to push us on the best she could. She was all positive. It wasn’t about her it was about the team. That’s the person she is.” 

It speaks of a united group and that comes through again, as Dormer discusses her mother first in the current climate, before speaking about the new challenges of playing amid restrictions. She is aware how fortunate they are to play this championship. But it is tough mentally and that the full squads will be permitted to attend Saturday under the relaxed guidelines is a relief. But that family won’t, is a disappointment that must be parked.

“You just can’t be too careful with Mam with Covid but she’s the heart of the family. She’s driving us on. It’s heartbreaking for her, and for myself… if you were playing a Mickey Mouse match in the field, she’d be the first one there. Even travelling down (to Cork for the semi-final), she was offering to drive and you’re like, ‘Sure you’re not going to get in Mam.’ That’s the heartbreaking thing. Your family, your friends, that do want to go to the matches, they can’t."