Junior Cup Debut Is ‘Huge Opportunity And Bonus’ For Tralee Women

Sunday will be a big day for Tralee RFC as their Women’s team take to the field for the quarter-final stage of the Energia Women’s Junior Cup. University of Galway are their hosts for a 2.30pm kick-off.

A first for the Kerry club to compete in this competition which pits the top eight junior clubs against one another, with two representing each province. Tralee alongside Ennis-Kilrush will be flying the Munster flag in this competition, the pair well familiar with each other after last year.

Playing in national competitions is nothing new for Tralee, back in 2019 they were the only club from outside of the Women’s All-Ireland League to feature across the three finals of the Women’s All Ireland Cup Finals. Defeated 15-10 by Cooke in the All-Ireland Shield Final, they had aspirations of further growth after that.

Then Covid put a spanner in the works. Numbers started to fall and soon Tralee along with Listowel, Killarney and Abbeyfeale all amalgamated their rugby clubs under one name Kerry Rugby. The team did compete in the same competition but would not reach the heights of Tralee in 2019.

Now Tralee are back looking to reach those same heights of five years ago, being the only women’s team in the county. In Munster they have enjoyed success in the last number of seasons under the Kerry name and are looking to build off a strong 2023-24 season, where they finished second in Division One of the League and Cup as the aforementioned Ennis pipped them to the post in both finals.

Assistant Coach Brian O’Dowd has been involved with the women’s programme in the club for the last few seasons, he believes this is a major boost to the club and well deserved for the efforts of the Tralee club to regrow their programme after those difficult seasons numbers wise.

“It’s a huge opportunity for the girls and it’s a huge bonus for the club, especially all the work that they have put in in the girls and women’s section of the club. The club probably went through a bit of a lean period there just before Covid and during Covid, the year after Covid wasn’t great, numbers dramatically decreased and ever since then it was just rebuilding it to where it is now, where we have 32/34 girls playing senior women’s rugby, we’ve a good underage structure from U10’s all the way up to U18’s.

Getting the rewards then of building all that structure, putting it in place and getting into the All Ireland Junior Cup, that is just the icing on the cake really. Just shows if you put that bit of hard work in and getting the backing of the club, what can be done in the women’s section.”

O’Dowd was the Head Coach of this group but that position is now held by former Munster, Connacht, Agen and Ireland A’s player John O’Sullivan. A Tralee native he has come in to offer that professional insight as the club have their eyes once again on progressing to a higher standard.

Last year they continued the growth but left empty handed having won three competitions in the 2022-23 season, they finished runners up in two of them as a third was removed. O’Dowd says O’Sullivan believed in the dedication shown by the group to come in as head coach this season and is hopeful they can kick on this year.

“Last year was great, the year before we won the three competitions that we had entered and then last year we got to the final of the two competitions. It was great to get to the final, pipped by Ennis both times, probably the first one we could have beaten them, the second one they deserved to win it.

It’s 50/50 with them all the way through, the attraction that brings into the club. I was the head coach, I am now the assistant coach with the new head coach being John O’Sullivan. Former Munster player, played with Connacht, Agen and with the Ireland A’s, a  professional rugby player for the bones of 15 years in Ireland and France. He came in and saw the dedication of the girls and what it means to them to get to the highest standard they can. He’s rolled in now behind and just kicked them on another gear.”

The women’s programme in the club has been flourishing since first fielding a team in 1983-84, producing plenty of provincial and International talent. Ciara Griffin, Siobhan Fleming, Marie “Maz” Louise Reilly, Riona Kennedy, Christine Arthurs, Ciara O’Connor and Muirne Wall, are just some of the players to have cut their teeth in O’Dowd Park over the years.

Of their current group Emma Dunican is a very exciting talent. Called up to play in the recent senior women’s interpros to represent Munster, a testament to the hard work done by their underage structure. Alongside players like Siobhan McCourt, Aine Enright, Katie Houlihan and Maria Harnett who have played with Munster at under age level, All Ireland Junior and Intermediate Camogie Champion with Kerry and Clanmaurice Laura Collins is a seasoned campaigner within their ranks. O’Dowd believes it is unbelievable for the club to have such a talented group.

“We have Emma Dunican who was in the senior squad this year, entered that whole setup at 17 years of age. She is on the National Talent ID squad, we have the likes of Siobhan McCourt, Aine Enright, Christine Arthurs, Katie Houlihan, Maria Harnett, they have all represented Munster at underage right up to U18’s. Then we have girls who have just started off, it’s a team for all abilities, all experiences, but we are just so lucky to have such unbelievable player talent in our squad, that’s getting us to where we are at the moment.”

The aforementioned Collins lined out for Abbeydorney last Sunday to claim the Kerry Ladies Junior A County Championship, a week later with join team mate Alannah Maunsell in hoping to transfer that success to the rugby field. One of the biggest games in recent years for Tralee on the national stages, they have the belief that they can perform against University College Galway.

“It’s massive really, we are under the cosh a little bit as the Ladies Football County Championships only finished last week. We will be going out, we have a game plan in place, it will be exciting. We are just going to go out, we believe in ourselves, we believe in our physicality and our skill level, we are going to go out and give it a shot, hopefully the day stays dry but I feel confident in how we can perform.”