Drom on the cusp of final having stored bitter disappointment

Is there a more mystical setting on this island than the Glens of Antrim? With its lush green fields and sweeping northern winds, the glens are a place where majestic natural beauty mixes with deep-seated Gaelic cultural pride. They know their history up there. They know their culture. And they also know their hurling and camogie.

When Drom & Inch meet Loughgiel Shamrocks in this Saturday’s All-Ireland Senior Club Camogie Championship semi-final, it will represent the convergence of two clubs which are literally steeped in Gaelic tradition.

Drom & Inch is a large club from a small rural area located smack bang in the middle of hurling’s veritable heartland.

Loughgiel is another large club from another small rural area located on the edge of hurling’s other veritable heartland - the glens.

Whichever team prevails will go on to meet either Sarsfields of Galway or St. Vincent’s of Dublin in the decider. In reality, it’s almost certain to be Sarsfields, but one never knows.

Drom v Loughgiel is significantly harder to call. The Tipp side are riding on the crest of a wave at present, having extracted vengeance on Scariff-Ogonelloe in the Munster decider.

Drom boss Pat Ryan thought his side exhibited certain traits in Mallow that day which should serve them well in Ashbourne this Saturday. He believes that his side have discovered new plays to play. In essence, they are now a multi-dimensional team, well equipped to manage the challenges posed by winter camogie.

“I think we kind of beat Scariff-Ogonelloe at their own game,” he recalls.

“We’ve mixed it up a bit this year - we haven’t just depended on our hurling; we’ve learned to dog it out as well.”

And that will be important coming into this next game as well.

“I’m after seeing Loughgiel play in Newry and they’re a very good side. They have it all, they have the toughness, they have the players, and they have the physicality. But so do we. So, I suppose, it might sound like a bit of a cliché, but it will come down to whoever wants it more on the day.”

Most neutrals will look at Drom & Inch and see the Munster Final victory as some kind of inflection point or watershed moment.

Others might point to their county final comeback win over Clonoulty-Rossmore. But Ryan thinks differently. In his view, Drom’s evolution this year has stemmed from their league final success over Éire-Óg Annacarty. They were missing several key players, but they quickly managed to unearth new talent and fill the void.

Some of those new recruits have remained in the starting line-up. Others are fulfilling a role as impact substitutions. The league is often dismissed as an irrelevancy, but for Drom it provided an opportunity for experimentation. In hindsight, the exercise has proven fruitful.

“Everybody forgets it, but we had our five county players gone, and Mary Bourke was gone away for personal reasons as well,” he said.

“But straight away we found six new players that were well able to play and stood up to the challenge. And they’ve done the same since.

“You have Katie Dwyer there; you have Caroline Shanahan - who’s after transforming into a senior camogie player almost overnight. Áine Greed has gone in there as well.

“So, people talk about the county final win or the Munster Final, but that league final win over Annacarty was the cornerstone of our development this year.”

Should Drom quell Loughgiel this Saturday, a trip to Croke Park on December 17th will await them. It is a tantalising prospect, but neither Ryan nor his players have devoted much attention to it. They are focused on Loughgiel. Loughgiel are focused on them. This one could be a belter.