Sorcha Ryan says Ashbourne Cup camogie has accounted for some of the most enjoyable days of her career so far, as the UCD captain looks ahead to this year's quarter finals.
The final year veterinary student has been a mainstay of UCD's Electric Ireland Ashbourne Cup teams in recent years, making the final in 2022 where they were beaten by DCU.
UCD host TUD in the quarter final this Thursday in Belfield, with Jack Dunphy's charges looking to turn the tables having lost to their cross-city rivals earlier on in this year's competition.
It's a quick turn-around for the south-side college having only booked their place in the quarter finals by beating SETU Waterford on Tuesday night, but Ryan says that one point victory will work wonders for the team's confidence.
"It was a hard fought victory against SETU Waterford. I asked the ref the score and he said 'it's a draw, and there's one minute left.'
"Thank God anyway we got the ball up the field and worked a score to win it," she says.
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The UCD team is a mixture of players from counties all over the country, with Tipperary, Kilkenny, Galway, Meath, Waterford and Dublin represented among others, and Ryan says they've been steadily improving after a disrupted Christmas where training was at a premium.
"It was tough to get a bit of momentum with earlier on this season. Before Christmas everyone was busy with their clubs and then girls aren't around the college for training and matches at Christmas," says the Tipperary woman.
"There was the spell of bad weather as well where it was tough trying to find pitches.
"But it's coming together for us a bit now. We've been learning on our feet and we've been improving as the competition has gone along."
"We'll be up against it. TUD beat us by a fair bit in the League and then it was daunting when we got them in the first round of the championship again.
Great week for our Senior Camógs as they beat our neighbours @UCDGAA in the first round of the Ashbourne Cup.
We now play @ul_gaa on Tuesday night in Grangegorman at 8:15pm.
🔗 - https://t.co/NPCO1NHJrA#WeAreTUDublin pic.twitter.com/jgXLt0VXeO
— TUDublin GAA Club (@TUDublinCCGAA) January 17, 2025
"We were up at half-time, surprising ourselves and maybe surprising them too in that game.
"Then they took over in the second half and won by five or six, but hopefully we've re-grouped, and hopefully the momentum after the Waterford game will keep us moving forward."
Ryan says the majority of the UCD team have played together in previous years, with three or four first years bringing an extra dimension.
She says she's met for 'friends for life' throughout her college camogie career and that this year is no different.
"That's what I love about college camogie is that it's so easy to bond and to get a good team spirit going.
"We're all in college, we're all here to have a bit of fun, but the love of camogie is obviously still there if people are happy to give up their free-time to be able to play it. It's great in that aspect."
"Some of my favourite teams I've ever played on have been my college teams and just the craic you'd have at training, after training, heading to the sauna for recovery and then the nights out.
"Those memories will last with me forever definitely."
"It's a great way to meet people outside of your course as well. I'd always be saying it to the younger girls in the club, to go and play in college, because you meet like-minded people, and you have those friends for life."
Off-the-field, Ryan is in her final year studying veterinary, a journey she has thoroughly enjoyed so far.
"Veterinary has been very enjoyable. The work-load has been fairly heavy but it's a great community in the vet building. I enjoy the content as well so it's all good."
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