Cork's Erika O’Shea has told how she very nearly quit the football altogether after being overlooked for county at underage teams.
An All Star winner last year, O’Shea is also a talented basketball player and was part of the UCC Glanmire team that won the national cup recently, and shooting hoops was winning her affections after she was overlooked for Cork under-14 and under-16 football panels.
“It did have a big effect on me,” said the UL student, speaking as Yoplait was announced as new sponsors of the LGFA’s third level competitions.
“I say this to my Mam now and I laugh - I quit football for a few weeks with Macroom. I just didn't want to go back. It really upset me.
“I tell the girls now that you should not leave that affect you and that they should use that as motivation to keep going, to keep training and pushing ahead.
“My coach at the time Margaret Buckley, she came down to my house and told me to get back to training as soon as possible. She laughs about it now every time I see her because I actually quit and now I am on the senior team. I could not believe it.”
Former Cork footballer John Cleary was subsequently in charge of the Cork minor team and brought O’Shea into his panel, though she was reluctant to present herself for trials at the time.
“My coach, Joe Cahill, in the school at the time, he trains the current Cork minors, and he told me I should go for the trials and if I don’t get, I don’t get it, but he told me I should go for it and I went for it and I’m so glad I did now because I was not going to do it.
“I told him straight to his face, ‘I don’t want to do it’ and he said, ‘Erika, you should go’ and I’m so grateful he did because I think I would have taken a completely different path.
“I’d say the basketball would have been a big factor. I obviously couldn’t go back to that now with the seniors, it would be hard to juggle both being up in Limerick as well.
“I feel that basketball would have been a path I would have stayed with and the football would have eased off a bit.”
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