Drom cherish each success like its their first

By Thomas Conway

You couldn’t help but feel sorry for Clonoulty-Rossmore last Saturday. Watching the disconsolate expressions of Cáit Devane and her team at the final-whistle, you had to wonder what sort of thoughts were flowing through their minds.

Of course, it is not in the nature of this Clonoulty team to feel sorry for themselves. They will take stock and bounce back stronger in 2023. But surely even they must now realise that this is a special Drom & Inch side. Drom are not quite in Burgess-Duharra territory, but they are nonetheless an incredible group of players, who play a brand of camogie which is stunningly dynamic and superbly attractive.

On Monday, small bands of Drom & Inch players were circumnavigating the local area, visiting each primary school to meet and rejoice with the younger generation.

Captain, Mairéad Eviston, cherishes those experiences. She describes it as quite possibly the most satisfying aspect of winning a county title. Nothing brings it home like those looks of adulation in the eyes of young children, as they stare at their heroes and dream of what they might one day achieve. Reflecting on the game, Eviston admits that part of the reason for Drom’s tepid first-half display was apprehension. In essence, they were nervous, perhaps more so than on any occasion previously.

“We knew that Clonoulty were going to come out and really focus on their first ten, fifteen minutes,” she said.

“So, we were prepared for that, but I don’t think we were prepared for the real intensity of it, for the intensity that they brought. I think it was probably the most nerve-wracking county final that we’ve played in as well. And that’s because there was big hype around Clonoulty, and obviously with everything that’s happened this year, it has been so hard on them down there. So, everybody has been getting behind them, but that probably made it harder for us going into the game.”

If Saturday demonstrated anything, it is that Drom know how to respond in a crisis.

At half-time they only trailed by four points, yet they had been comprehensively outplayed in most sectors of the field. They needed to produce a quick response and they did so with the utmost efficiency, courtesy of a Niamh Treacy goal.

Clonoulty continued to push them hard after that, but once Eimear McGrath’s goal dropped into the net in the 51st minute, there was a sense that Clonoulty were fighting a losing battle. As pressurised and intense as the whole thing was, Eviston admits that the satisfaction Drom felt at the final-whistle was almost unparalleled. They had been pushed to their limits, and yet again, they delivered.

“The more competitive the game, the more enjoyable it is,” she said.

“And the win last Saturday was probably the sweetest that we’ve had, just because we were behind for so long and it was just so tight. So, to win a close game like that, a game that went right down to the wire, it just adds to the enjoyment of it all.”

Drom’s next challenge, a Munster Club Championship outing against De La Salle of Waterford, could prove to be a similarly absorbing contest. That’s certainly what Eviston is expecting, but the Drom captain knows that her side have unfinished business in Munster. There is another provincial title in this Drom team, and perhaps even more.

“We’ve been here for the past three years, and we only have one Munster title to show for it, so that’s a huge motivation for us,” concluded the Drom skipper.