For Loughgiel Shamrocks camogie team getting to the All-Ireland semi-final was an achievement in itself. Seven years had passed since they last made it out of Ulster, six heartbreaking consecutive provinvial final defeats to Derry's Slaughtneil crushed dreams.
The club are now just sixty minutes away from lifting the Bill and Agnes Carroll Cup after making their maiden final last weekend. The Antrim side dispatched Tipperary's Drum and Inch in Kinnegad, winning by three points.
The side has changed this year losing several key players but has welcomed the addition of manager Benny Dillon who has guided them all the way to Croke Park for this Saturday's decider.
Dillon struggles to explain how it felt when the final whistle blew on Saturday, realising they had made history.
"It's hard to put it into words," he tells Balls.ie.
"I'm not sure it has even sunk in yet.
"I don't think it willl until we're in Croke Park on Saturday.
Dillon, who works as an electrician, watched for the last six years as Loughgiel were defeated in Ulster finals but always believed they could win it again as this year proved.
"Those Slaughtneil games over the years turned into more of a mental battle for the girls than anything," he says.
"We always believed that the girls were good enough and that if we could play the game on our terms we had every chance.
"That's what we did (this year).
"The girls went out, they just decided that enough was enough, after six years it was their turn.
"It was a great relief getting over the line."
Despite admitting that it was "difficult" for his side to pick themselves up after being defeated year after year, Dillon says it helped them this season.
"They turned all that hurt and all that disappointment into the driving force to propel them this year.
"They used all that as their motivation," he adds.
"We couldn't have asked for more from them this year in terms of their work rate, their effort, and their commitment to it.
"Those six years they've been so close but let's face it Slaughtneil are a great team.
"They won three All-Ireland's in that time.
"Good teams don't win three All-Ireland's, they're a great team so knowing that we were so close to them all those years drove us on."
Loughgiel manager praises his side's commitment
Dillon is also quick to praise the "unbelievable" commitment of his team.
"Roisin (McCormick) is a student in Dublin, Úna McNaughton travels from Enniskillen for training and a few of them are mothers.
"That involves getting babysitters and trying to get everything ready for a child before rushing out the door to training.
"Anything we've asked from them we've gotten and there is a lot of sacrifice involved in that."
Excitement is building within the camp and the community ahead of this weekend's All-Ireland final against Sarsfields of Galway. The small village which is twenty minutes from Ballymena has a population of less than five hundred, all of whom will be supporting the team.
"Hurling and camogie is just the heart and soul of the village," Dillon says.
"I've been getting phone calls, well wishes and messages.
"I had one man phone me who was prepared to pay for a hotel for us on Saturday night.
"If we need anything, there's people there offering to get it for us or do it for us.
"It gives the whole community a buzz whenever the teams are going well because there's not an awful lot more to do in Loughgiel other than hurling or camogie."
The task will be stiff for the Antrim outfit on Saturday evening in GAA Headquarters as the Sarsfields have made the last four All-Ireland finals and are reigning champions having beaten Oulart in the delayed 2021 final in March.
It appears however that Dillon and Loughgiel fear no side.
"We've a lot of belief in our team.
"Obviously, Sarsfield’s are a great team.
"They're the reigning champions so deservedly go into the game as favourites but we're confident in our team and what we can bring to it.
"Our thing this year has been to try and play games on our terms," he continues.
"If we can do that on Saturday then we've got every chance."
If Loughgiel were to bring the cup back up North on Saturday night they would be only the second Antrim club ever to do so, following in the footsteps of Rossa in 2008.
It would provide those involved with the perfect end to a magical 2022 season.
"It would mean everything to me, to the girls and to the whole community.
"The young ones in Loughgiel look up to them girls, they idolise them, they want to be them when they get older.
"Older ones like myself wish we were still young and still able to play in these games.
"It would just mean everything to everybody involved if we could get over the line on Saturday."
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