Pain of final defeat fires Méabh Cahalane up for redemption bid

REDEMPTIO: Méabh Cahalane, captain of the Cork senior camogie team who play Galway in the All-Ireland final in Croke park on Sunday. Pic: Eddie O'Hare

All the hours of preparation that go into training and recovery and the sacrifices that are made. Is it more than just a game?

It’s been non-stop for back-to-back Cork camogie captain Méabh Cahalane. An extended 2025 season with St Finbarr’s ended just seven months ago when the replayed All-Ireland senior club final spilled over into January and on a partly frozen FBD Semple Stadium, Athenry edging a two-point thriller.

Five months previously, the Maroon were at it again, when Carrie Dolan launched a booming free from downtown to deny 14-player Cork by a single point.

Having to recover from two big final defeats coming so close together can take its toll.

“For the first couple of weeks when you come back training after the club final, you are trying to motivate yourself, it can be hard,” admitted Cahalane.

“Losing the two finals just drains the life out of you, really. But the group were so supportive of us, saying to ease ourselves back into it because it is harder coming in on the back of a loss instead of a win. A win gives you energy but you can feel a bit lifeless coming in after a loss.

“It is hard to say it is just sport because it does take up 80/90 percent of your life, so at the end of the day you get out of it as much as you put in.

“From October, November you are trying to get yourself fit so you can go back training with Cork in January. I suppose when you come away from a final after losing by the minimum, it’s really a couple of months before you even begin to digest it.

“I was lucky enough to have a long club campaign, which probably at times made it easy for me not to think about losing to Galway, but when we lost that club final as well, it was kind of 'where do you go from here'. But that is the beauty of sport and the difference between winning and losing.

“After Cork winning in 2023 and 2024, you know the difference then between coming away from Croke Park with a win and a loss, and there’s a massive difference.” 

When she did return to camp after the club final, it was far from smooth sailing.

“Probably, the dressing-room felt empty at times at the start of the year, big personalities with so much experience were gone, and new girls were coming in trying to find their feet.

"It took us the league to get used to that. I think they’ve really shown leadership, energy and confidence the way they’ve carried themselves on and off the field, going toe-to-toe with us in A v B games.

"They’ve been incredible and have improved massively from the start of the year up to now, so I’m very proud of this group.” 

A calf injury then flared up, leaving the skipper watching from outside the white lines.

“You’d be thinking to yourself would they ever give me a break and be injury free, but look, that’s just probably the nature of it as well. You mind yourself as much as you can but there is only so much minding you can do.

"At times you might train on the edge and it might push you into an injury, but that’s probably again just the nature of it. I know some of the girls were mocking us saying the old ones are injured, but in my head I’m still one of the young ones.

“I missed a good chunk of training and I missed the Galway and Tipperary games (in June). I’ve had a couple of injuries before at different times of the year so I was thinking to myself at least it happened now and not at another time.

“Ashling Thompson and Amy O’Connor were injured at stages, so I suppose it is important for us to be showing leadership around the dressing-room, getting in our rehab sessions and doing our running on the pitch, and try and get back to training as soon as we can.

"Any of the girls that filled in did extremely well. You couldn’t fault them but we are happy to have our positions back.

“Being injured was frustrating, because the Galway game was a big one going up to Athenry and we really had a point to prove.

"Coming away with the win, it felt like I was on the pitch for 60 minutes. It meant as much being on the sideline as being on the pitch.

“I’m happy now I have the injury at bay.” 

Keeping going when things get tough requires mettle. Then again, the Cahalanes are well used to overcoming adversity.

After a summer of disappointment, her brothers Damien (hurling) and Conor (football) bowed out of their respective inter-county championships. Although younger sister Órlaith did pocket an All-Ireland U23 medal.

“When it doesn’t go their way and because you see how much it means to them, it is tough,” she says.

“You might not know the right thing to say but when we are all playing, it probably makes it that bit easier because we do know how it feels to lose big games and for a year not to go your way.”

For the All-Star defender to get a second shot as captain is much appreciated.

“You’d be hoping after last year you’d get another chance. But it was a bit of a whirlwind of a year. At times you might think it wasn’t looking that way, but we kept the faith and we kept ploughing on and took it game by game, and we’re absolutely delighted to be back there again and have another chance at an All-Ireland final.

“When we play Galway, both teams rise to each other. Last year’s final, I didn’t watch it back for about six months, but it was a great game, so exciting. The same for the 2024 final.

"You have such talent in both squads. It is probably hard to call but I suppose we can only focus on ourselves, convince ourselves we are good enough to win and put in a performance that will get us over the line.”