Best I can be’

“When I made the choice to go to rugby it was more people pushed me on and were so supportive because they’ve come to the games and seen me as an athlete.

“Because the ladies football club had done so well it didn’t matter whether it was football or rugby, everybody wished me well. I was lucky with where I came from.”

Reflecting on her career to date, Mulhall has had a couple of bad moments on the field. In 2011 she was also captain of a close knit Minor team that lost an All-Ireland final which was difficult for her to take. On the rugby pitch a couple of poor results in the last two World Sevens Series rankle, especially when she thought progress had been made.

This year has been more positive on the rugby field. At the Sydney Sevens the Irish team reached the quarter finals where they were beaten by finalists New Zealand, however they beat the United States to record their best finish yet and rewarded their hard work to date.

On the football field she finds it difficult to identify her best moment though her county final victories with Tinahely have the highest place.

One year her sister Emily was captain while her grandmother, who the two sisters are very close to, was sitting in the car in Aughrim unable to make it into the stand. She was the first port of call for the cup.

“The girls had got to know her so well that we all got the cup and ran up to the car with it to her.”

Family is something very important to Mulhall, and she references it in terms of motivational forces.

“I’d get this influence from my Granny and my parents: I always grew up to have faith, I’d go to Mass every week and pray quite a lot. I always believe that you have to be the best person you can be and be true to yourself. Anything I do I try to be the best I can be.

“I’ve also been so lucky to have such support around me, especially when I went and jumped to rugby, I always had it in the back of my mind to make the people from home proud. I think it’s all about the people you have in your life rather than the medals that don’t necessarily motivate me.”