Skipper McCarthy taking it in her stride

By Thomas Conway

To captain Tipperary can never be considered a burden, but it is, without doubt, an added layer of responsibility.

In the case of Tipperary senior camogie captain Caoimhe McCarthy, however, she wears that added responsibility lightly. Understated and slightly soft-spoken, McCarthy is not your typical captain, if there even is such a thing.

It is, for example, almost impossible to imagine her tearing down the dressing-room door or delivering rousing pre-match pep-talks, although she may be an entirely different character within the dressing-room walls - elite players often are.

Really though, she leads by example with her efficient, influential performances from the half-back line. That is precisely what McCarthy delivers, time upon time again. Her relentless consistency is probably one of the reasons why James Heffernan appointed her captain back in February.

Now in her sixth season with the seniors, the Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams clubwoman was previously part of more or less every Tipperary underage squad she was eligible for, right up to minor.

She says she “always enjoyed it, always enjoyed camogie” from early on in her childhood, and because she liked it so much, she “just kept going.”

She doesn’t talk herself up or down, and speaks effusively about the squad around her, emphasising the collective. She comes across as cool under pressure, and fairly relaxed. Behind it all, however, you get the impression that McCarthy is assiduous in everything she does.

She talks about first being drafted into the senior panel by Bill Mullaney, going on to describe the culture shock she experienced in relation to the increased standard and level of physicality.

“When I first came into the panel, I was just learning, just trying to build myself up physically, because there’s such a jump from minor to senior, but you do learn from the players around you,” she says.

“But even as you grow older, you’re still learning, you’re still working on a load of things. You’re never finished.”

McCarthy has done a hell of a lot of learning during the past six years. She has evolved into one of Tipperary’s most consistent, dependable players and now poses as an attacking half-back capable of surging runs and picking off scores.

Her three-point haul during last year’s extra-time All-Ireland quarter-final win over Kilkenny in Croke Park was evidence, if it were needed, that she can deliver on the biggest stage.

Like her teammates she cut a devastated figure following Tipp’s loss to Galway in the subsequent semi-final, but talking to the former Mary Immaculate College Limerick student, you sense that she is not one to dwell on disappointment or wallow in self-pity. She just gets on it.

She was utterly delighted following Tipp’s recent Munster Final success and made a measured acceptance speech afterwards paying tribute to the late Burgess-Duharra player Laura Kennedy, who had died in a car crash several days previously. It was a nice touch from McCarthy, and she delivered it well.

Leaders all over the panel

Asked whether being granted the captaincy has altered her thinking in any way, or added extra pressure, McCarthy answers unequivocally.

“Nothing changed when I was made captain. There are leaders all over that panel. It’s just a title that somebody has to get, and it could be anyone of the 33 girls on that panel. I’m happy to do it, but really it could be anyone,” she responds.

McCarthy is forward-looking and laser focused. As well as that she is honest and straight-talking. In relation to the Munster Final success over Waterford, the wing-back admits that it can be very easy “to get caught up in the hype” after winning such a gripping game but insists that Tipp are more focused on how they can improve on that performance ahead of the sequel this weekend.

She echoes her manager and gives little away in terms of her side’s tactics and overall ambitions, but says the focus is now firmly on the All-Ireland campaign and that Tipp have “a great panel of players” who are capable of confronting any challenge. However, they are not looking beyond Waterford.

“We have a game by game approach,” she says.

“No matter who the opposition is, we’re going to focus on ourselves, and hopefully it works out in the end.”

Should events transpire in a certain way, McCarthy could be the one climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand later this summer to accept the O’Duffy Cup. Neither her nor her manager nor the players around her would so much as entertain such notions, but you suspect that deep down, they are all dreaming of it.