Brianna O'Regan thankful for camogie after family tragedy

It wouldn't surprise Brianna O’Regan if she were the topic of conversation among match officials on lifts home after games, with umpires regaling their colleagues of her constant chatter.

Whether it’s asking them what time is left, offering her defenders constant and vociferous encouragement, or issuing instructions to herself, it doesn’t really stop.

"I think I’ve a bit of a mad streak in me," says a chuckling O’Regan, happy to play to the stereotype of goalkeepers being a little different to the rest of the pack, appropriately shadowed by people in white coats.

"It’s you and the two posts at times. I’d be talking to myself and probably the umpires are saying, 'This wan’s a mad wan,’ but you have to have a different mindset to the outfield players… Poor (full-back) Iona Heffernan, I’d say her head is fried!"

Extroverted by nature, a wisecrack is never far from O’Regan’s lips. It would be a mistake to think the 23-year-old saunters through life with a devil-may-care attitude however.

She is deadly serious about her work as a special needs assistant at St Stephen’s De La Salle - "I love it" - and about honing her craft as a netminder.

She has been as consistent as any in the land over the past three years, despite not picking up an All-Star gong, with her accurate and lengthy puckouts a key weapon in the Waterford armoury.

The spectacular shot stopping places her on an elite level, however, and the penchant for saving penalties is particularly notable.

But life is for living and she is all about doing that. Just like her camogie and profession, reaching this point in her personal life has taken plenty of work, including counselling.

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O’Regan admitted on WLRFM after Waterford’s Glen Dimplex All-Ireland