Rebel dual player Libby Coppinger lined out for both the Cork camogie and ladies football teams on Saturday in a remarkable show of commitment to her two sides.
Coppinger played the full 60 minutes in Cork's clash against Down in the All-Ireland Camogie Championship before travelling three hours to Pearse Stadium by car, where she came on as a sub in the 43rd minute for the Cork footballers.
The St Colum's player wasn't the only one to travel from Pairc Uí Chaoimh where the camogie team won 3-19 to 1-10 against Down to Galway where the footballers suffered a 3-11 to 1-11 defeat to the host county.
Coppinger's teammate Aoife Healy also made the trip from Cork to Galway. She didn't see any minutes for the Cork footballers, however.
6 February 2023; Libby Coppinger of Cork during the 2023 Lidl Ladies National Football League Division 1 Round 3 match between Cork and Dublin at Pairc Ui Rinn in Cork. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
Cork legend and former dual player Rena Buckley praised Coppinger for her commitment.
"I don't believe it really. Libby's after playing a camogie game down in Cork, and then travelling three hours up the road along with Aoife Healy.
"The effort she's shown, it's unbelievable. A brilliant, important player for this team too."
#PROPERFAN 18 nóim@CorkLGFA 1-09@GalwayLgfa 1-08
Libby Coppinger ar an bpáirc tar éis cluiche camógaíochta a imirt níos luaithe!
Straight from Páirc Ui Chaoimh 😱@LadiesFootball @GAA_BEO
BEO/LIVE ar @TG4TV pic.twitter.com/RYzdQcFc3p
— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) June 17, 2023
Although people have praised Coppinger and Healy for their commitment and determination to make both games, many have questioned the scheduling of the fixtures.
They have questioned how the LGFA and Camogie Association have allowed these fixtures to take place on the same day.
Libby Coppinger's Teammate Hannah Looney Speaks Out
One of Coppinger's Cork teammates, Hannah Looney has been outspoken about her anger towards the Camogie and Ladies Football Associations for allowing these fixtures to overlap and take place on the same day.
"People will say to me that 'The days of the dual player are gone. They don't have it in the men's games anymore'," she said.
"In Cork at the moment, we have four dual players: myself, Libby Coppinger, Aoife Healy, Orla Cahalane, who are representing Cork to the highest level, and giving all we can to both sports and doing it quite successfully. I'd say that's not an argument to have with me right now.
"It's just disappointing because we represent the Camogie Association and ladies' football with the highest regard. We do so much for them, and they are just pushing us away from both codes.
"I'm nearly here begging the camogie and football. We're talking about mergers, we're talking about everything and there seems to be a fundamental breakdown in communication where we're punishing players who are at the core of these sports, and we're punishing women in sport."
Cork ladies football manager, Shane Ronayne, when asked whether it was a tough decision to play Coppinger since she already had clocked up a good bit of mileage that day said:
"It was, but Libby and Aoife said they were going to come up. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Ideally, I wouldn't have brought her on as early.
"But Libby's old enough to make those decisions herself. We left it up to herself. She said she was ready to come on. I think she's okay. She made the effort to come up here. We're quite happy with what we did.
"She's an adult, not a young girl so she made that decision herself."
SEE ALSO: Senior Camogie And LFGA Championships To Be Played 'Under Protest'
