Ireland will hopefully take one more massive step towards qualifying for the 2019 Women's World Cup after tomorrow's World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands. A young Ireland team is building a new identity. New manager Colin Bell has been central to the formations in which they've done that, but it also helps to have a group of players intent on keeping those marching feet grazing against the ground.
"I’d like to hope I’m not off the ground in any way" striker Leanne Kiernan tells Balls. An admirable achievement, given her ascent would send most others spitting declamations over vertigo.
A hat-trick for Shelbourne in a Cup final at the Aviva at the age of 17; Champions League football a week after opening her Leaving Cert results; full international honours as a teenager. Scorer of a dynamite goal against Slovakia and one of Ireland'st most potent offensive threats.
69: GOOOOAAALLLL!
Ireland 1-0 Slovakia. What a finish from Leanne Kiernan. Sensational run & finish. Live now on eir sport 1! #COYGIG #IRLWNT pic.twitter.com/yGOQ1mD8WG— eir Sport (@eirSport) April 6, 2018
But her background dictates that Kiernan is unlikely to be floating away anytime soon. For example, she has taken a day off so she can chat to us in an Abbottstown boardroom. Her day job is....atypical.
"I’m on my three-month work placement on a pig farm. I go to Ballyhaise Agricultural College, so I’m a proper farmer! I took the day off to come up and talk to you. I love farming".
Kiernan hails from Bailieborough in Cavan, and is the town's second Irish international of recent years, the first being Cillian Sheridan (currently playing in the Polish top division).
Having traded her free hours for soccer, distance running and Gaelic football growing up, Kiernan eventually had to make the choice between sports. Her decision to choose the former has been richly justified: she made her senior Irish debut in Sue Ronan's final game in charge in 2016, and has continued to be an important part of Colin Bell's squad.
One of the hallmarks of Bell's job thus far has been his ability to infuse the squad with youth, to such an extent that the team that finished the famous 0-0 draw with European Champions Holland in November featured Kiernan along with the 16-year-old Tyler Toland. This process is smoothed by the extent to which he coaches his players individually. Each player can avail of one-to-one video analysis sessions, and their individual performances do not escape Bell's gaze in the heat of games. Bell used his post-match interview with the FAI after the recent 3-1 friendly win over Portugal, for example, to praise Kiernan's performance as the best since he assumed the job, hailing the intelligence of her runs up front.
It’s brilliant. Colin has a lot of belief in us, and he’s a great coach to work under. He is great at giving instruction and I've learned loads.
He’s brought in a more defensive-minded style, and he is teaching me not to leave gaps behind me. I have to focus more on my positioning.
While the coach's incantation that the next game is all that matters has been distilled to his players -"we are all keeping focus, and not letting any of that get to us."
We wouldn’t be the favourites [to qualify] with Norway and Holland [in the group], but as a team we’re focused on gathering points up the whole time.
We all believe it.
We end the interview by returning to the most incongruous part of Kiernan's meteoric rise. Are there any other pig farmers in this Irish team?
I highly doubt it!
It’s good. Some of the Shels girls have been down on the farm, and they’re begging for another visit!
It’s totally different to Dublin City. They just thought it was great. They all laugh when I say I’m a farmer, but as soon as they come down they are saying, “Can I get a job here?'
Based on the gutsy victory over Slovakia Friday, and the stylish performance by Kiernan, fans can dream of a massive result tomorrow. Support of the home fans will go a long way.
