Ireland Rugby Sevens star Aimee-Leigh Murphy Crowe was blown away by the news that she was nominated for World Rugby Women's Sevens player of the year for 2022.
The 27-year-old, who plays for Ireland in both the Sevens and traditional 15's format, had a sensational 2022 and racked up 36 tries over the course of a prolific season.
Although Australia's Charlotte Caslick took home the prize, the Irish star was honoured to be nominated for the award and is keen to stress that her teammates deserve just as much credit as anyone for her nomination.
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“When I got the phone call from Kevin Potts I was actually at the ploughing! and I was thinking - I was in shock- I said I can’t believe that Kevin, I really can’t," Murphy Crowe said.
"It was just a complete honour to be compared to or even be in the same bracket as Maddie (Levi), Charlotte and Faith (Nathan).
“It’s just a huge honour because they’re amazing. But I definitely, and whoever has watched this year will know, It wasn’t just me that helped me get to that position.
“The team - we’ve just played absolutely unbelievable rugby all season, and I just can’t take all the credit for it. I solely believe it was them who helped me get there. And for them, I’m so grateful to be part of that team.”
To be nominated alone was an amazing achievement and in doing so, she became the first Irish woman to ever be nominated for the prestigious gong. To put the achievement into context, since the first World Player of the year award was handed out in 2013, only eight non-Australian or New Zealand players have been nominated for the top prize.
The achievements keep on coming for Murphy Crowe and this weekend, she will make her 50th appearance for Ireland when the team take part in the next World Series event of the 2023 season in Cape Town, which begins with a clash with Spain on Friday morning. And once again, she is keen to share out credit with all the people that have helped her along the way.
"It’s a huge honour. I have known about it for a few months, but to think I have played 50 times, I just love it.
"I love playing for Ireland and putting on a green jersey. Doing it with so many different players and staff. They have all helped me get to this point, helped me in any way they could.
"I’m very grateful to every person who has helped me get to 50 caps. Whether it be a player coach, family member, whoever they are, a big thank you to them."
Last term, Ireland finished fourth in the end of season World Series rankings. At the end of this campaign, the top four teams in the rankings will qualify automatically for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
That's one hell of a carrot to be dangling in front of a team that has failed to qualify for the last two Olympics. And with the next Games just over 18 months away, the team are eager not to make it an unwanted hat-trick.
"It is a huge motivation. We haven’t obviously made the last two, being Rio and Tokyo, so it is definitely something we want to achieve as a group.
"It is a huge purpose for the Irish women's sevens team to be able to compete at an Olympic Games, and to have it in Paris in 2024 would be a huge achievement, especially considering it is so close to home.
"You would almost feel like you would have a hometown crowd down there. It is definitely a massive motivation this year.
"It is a massive motivation for everything; for training, for games, for off the field stuff. Everybody wants to be out there."
*TritonLake, proud title sponsor of the Ireland Men’s and Women’s Rugby Sevens teams since June 2021, is excited to follow the journey of both teams this season after a record-breaking year on the pitch. Off the pitch, TritonLake have launched Season Two of podcast TritonLake Perform, with former Irish Rugby player Geordan Murphy the first guest of the new season. To listen, and to stay up to date with the Irish Rugby Sevens Teams, follow TritonLake across Twitter and Instagram, or visit www.tritonlake.com/perform.*
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