US hockey star Alyssa Manley cuts down Naomh Abán
OLYMPIAN: Alyssa Manley of Salthill-Knocknacarra celebrates after scoring her side's first goal during the 2022 currentaccount.ie LGFA All-Ireland Junior Club Football Championship Final against Naomh Abán of Cork at Fethard Town Park in Fethard, Tipperary. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile
From Team USA Olympian to All-Ireland champion, it’s been a delightfully unexpected journey for Alyssa Manley.
Salthill-Knocknacarra’s goal-scoring hero sealed All-Ireland Junior silverware with her 60th-minute strike shaking off the persistent challenge of Naomh Abán, who played half this match with 14 players on the field.
The original plan for the Rio 2016 Olympian wasn’t Fethard Town Park on a frozen weekend before Christmas. It had been to play hockey in the Netherlands but when that move fell through, Manley and her Galwegian girlfriend decided west of the Shannon was as good an alternative as any.
They made the move in June 2020 and Manley fulfilled her wish to play hockey in Europe with Galway Hockey Club but the 129-cap international’s curiosity was also piqued by Gaelic games. Her decision between football and camogie was made when she got to know some of her future football team-mates.
“I had no idea what the rules were and how to play,” said Manley. “I had to ask so many questions. I didn’t know about the square ball the first time. My first match I double-hopped the ball.
“There were a few things I needed to get used to and even soloing in general; it’s such a skill in itself to be able to run and kick the ball back up to yourself. That was an adjustment as well.”
Manley is known to her family and team-mates as ‘Shed’, an abbreviation of her original childhood nickname ‘Machete’. “It’s because I was pretty hyper as a kid but luckily it got shortened,” she laughs.
At 28, those energetic traits hold her in good stead in spearheading a youthful Salthill-Knocknacarra forward line that features a 16-year-old, three 17-year-olds, and a 19-year-old. It’s not just their attack that’s young. Their full-back Emma Madden is 19 and their centre-back Zainab Rather just 14.
Manley was that age when she gave up soccer but that background showed as she stepped inside the full-back to dispatch the O’Neills to the bottom corner. Her second-half involvement had been restricted to shuttle runs to keep warm at full-forward; anything to avoid standing still too long as Naomh Abán employed a full-court press to chase down a 0-6 to no-score half-time advantage built on Kate Thompson and Laura Kelly’s scoring prowess.
The Gaeltacht club showed even more never-say-die resilience after centre-back Rosie Corkery, sin-binned in the third minute, was sent off in the 42nd for a second booking. Grace Murphy and substitute Joanne Kelly led the way as they twice brought the gap back to three and kept Salthill without a shot until the 58th minute. But Manley stayed patient and warm and exploited the gaps left behind for the first goal the Cork champions had conceded in over four hours of football.
“It was winter in Rio so it was cold but it’s colder here,” said Manley with a chuckle. “The GAA is such a big part of Irish culture. There’s so much media around it. It’s really cool that there’s so much support from all our fans that have come. It’s great.
“I couldn’t imagine a more perfect season to have.”
Siobhán Divilly took home the player of the match award and Ailbhe Finnerty lifted the cup to end a day that looked like it might see no football at all when Cahir’s pitch was frozen solid. The game of musical venues ended at Fethard after postponements from Kilmallock, six days earlier, and Cahir, half an hour before the rescheduled throw-in time.
It resulted in an occasion without the feel of an All-Ireland final. Certainly, there aren't too many All-Ireland finals where players have to ask reporters on the sideline to find out the score.
The 4G pitch, with Gaelic games and rugby markings, was undoubtedly playable and it will be a brilliant venue when built. But for now, the surrounding area is a construction site, with fans standing around the perimeter or on a frozen bank either side of the scaffolding and barriers. Both teams could only laugh in despair at getting changed in neighbouring portable buildings and queueing in the cold alongside spectators for the three available portaloos.
All sides were regardless keen to get the game played, whether they had any change of boots for the 4G surface or not, and grateful for Fethard’s generosity in hosting the match at such short notice.
None of it made any difference to the result for either manager.
“All the moving of the pitch and all that had nothing to do with this,” said Naomh Abán’s Noel McDonagh. “Once we get a ball, two goalposts, and a pitch, we’ll play anywhere. That’s the way you’ve got to take this. You can’t control the weather. You can’t control these things. The girls had the same attitude in the dressing room. Get on with it, play the game, get it done.”
They are a young side too with a bright future ahead at higher grades. They ten 10 U21s starting; their average age of 22 against Salthill’s 21.
“We will learn a lot from this and we will be stronger from it. We’ve had a great year and we’ll have a great social and we’ll look back at this year and we’ll say it was a great year.”
A Manley (1-0); K Thompson, L Kelly (0-3, 1 free, each); L O’Donnell (0-1).
G Murphy (0-2, 1 free); E Murphy, L McDonagh (0-1 each).
L Carroll; A Mullen, E Madden, O de Bairéad; S Donnellan, Z Rather, R Reddington; S Divilly, A Finnerty (capt); L Kelly, L O’Donnell, K Thompson; D O’Connell, A Manley, A Nash.
D Brennan for Reddington (58), A Kelly for Divilly (60+5), M Mulligan for Madden (60+6).
L Hughes; A Creedon, M Dineen, U Twohig (capt); E Kelly, R Corkery, ME Kelliher; A McDonagh, G Lucey; A Hoare, E Murphy, C Phelan; A Maher, L McDonagh, G Murphy.
J Kelly for Maher (35), C Murphy for Phelan (50).
S Mulvihill (Kerry).
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