Áine McDonagh hoping years of hard work pays off for Galway

Having watched from afar as a familiar face from her childhood agonisingly missed out on guiding the county to an All-Ireland title last weekend, former Galway ladies footballer Áine McDonagh is hopeful another long-time acquaintance can go a step further in a similar quest at Croke Park tomorrow.

As a fellow native of Moycullen, McDonagh (currently in Australia preparing for a new AFL Women's season with Hawthorn) has known Galway men's football captain Seán Kelly for many years.

While a persistent injury prevented him from starting the game, the official skipper was introduced as a second-half substitute in the Tribesmen’s dramatic one-point defeat to Armagh in last Sunday’s All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final.

Despite now playing her club football in Dublin with Kilmacud Crokes, Ailbhe Davoren also hails from Moycullen and was previously McDonagh’s team-mate on a host of underage and adult teams.

A goalscorer in an impressive semi-final win over Cork, Davoren is set to captain the Galway ladies in their TG4 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship showpiece affair against Kerry at GAA HQ tomorrow.

"Seán and I actually went to school together, so I’ve known him from quite a young age. Just everything he has done for Moycullen and Galway over the past few years has been phenomenal," McDonagh explained.

"He’s such a great role model for all the kids and the effort that he has put into Galway and Moycullen for the past couple of years is really commendable. It was tough going for him with injuries throughout the year. I’m disappointed that he couldn’t get it over the line.

"She (Davoren) has been there and thereabouts since right after minors. It’s great to see her going so well and being able to captain the team.