Maher reveals time was right to go

FOR many people, it was the image of last year in Galway sport. For camogie people, it was the image of the decade. As the final whistle sounded at Croke Park last September, Therese Maher fell to her knees and put her head in her hands – sheer relief mixed with elation after her 17-year quest for an All-Ireland medal had finally come to a successful conclusion.

The woman who was considered by many to be the county’s greatest ever camogie player had finally reached the Holy Grail after a heart-breaking career in which she had ended up on the losing side in five finals.

As it subsequently transpired, it was the Loughrea native’s last ever appearance in a maroon jersey. What a way to go out – with the Player of the Match award and a fifth All-Star accolade following the tense 1-9 to 0-7 victory over Kilkenny at Croke Park.

“It was a tense final and we came under a lot of pressure in the last five minutes,” she said this week. “There was a lot of emotion, because for so long we had been trying to live the dream. I have definitely lived the dream now, I will put it that way. My ultimate goal was to win that elusive All-Ireland before I retired.”

Ever modest, she was not looking for individual praise when she spoke to Tribune Sport. Days after announcing her retirement from the Galway team, she was reluctant to take the spotlight away from the girls she has soldiered with in recent seasons.

Team manager Tony Ward gave her plenty of time to weigh up her options over the winter months and there was no pressure on Maher before she announced her departure to the panel on Tuesday of last week.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, but I suppose I could not have gone out on a better note,” she said. “Tony gave me plenty of time. I thought long and hard about it all winter. I just felt it was the right time for me. I was enjoying it last year, but you don’t get to play camogie forever.”

Therese had seen older sisters Dympna and Gretta win All-Ireland medals in 1996, a year before she joined the panel as a 15-year old. She reached the finals in her first two campaigns, losing to Cork in both the 1997 and ’98 deciders, and then had to wait a decade to get back to Croke Park in September.

Full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune