‘I looked up at the clock and finally thought that we’d win’

FORMER Dublin Ladies captain Denise Masterson allowed herself to enjoy the last few minutes of the 2010 All-Ireland final. Her side controlled the game from the throw-in, and had built up and unassailable lead against their opponents Tyrone.

The county’s first senior All-Ireland crown was within reach, but this was familiar territory for Masterson and some of her Dublin team-mates. In the 2009 final, they were one point ahead of Cork at half-time, but the reigning champions revived in the second half to retain the Brendan Martin Cup.

Masterson (pictured) was understandably cautious about savouring the victory before the final whistle in 2010, but with over 10 points separating the sides in the final minutes, she could finally relax and enjoy the moment.

‘I remember vividly in the Tyrone game when it was nearly impossible for them to come back and I still didn’t believe it. I just wanted us to keep going and keep going until the final whistle. I don’t think at any stage that we took our foot off the gas, we just kept pushing on.

‘I think I looked up at the clock when there was four minutes to go and I finally thought that we were going to win it. There was obviously a break in play and it was the first time I thought we were going to win it. I remember feeling a bit overcome.’

Losing to Cork the year before left its scars on the Dublin players, but they were determined to scale the mountain again in search of that elusive All-Ireland.

The path back to Croke Park got off to an undesirable start for Dublin following their relegation from Division 1, but hitting their stride during the championship stages was always the ultimate goal.

The players had agreed to step up their commitment levels for the 2010 season, and following wins over Clare and Laois, they were back in the final.

‘I think the 2009 defeat really hurt us and we were really focused and willing to give it everything. We stepped it up in terms of our level of commitment. We really went for it in 2010. ‘We were ready to give whatever it took and we had to give 100 per cent, that’s what we would have been saying. ‘We couldn’t have anyone not buying into what we were all believing in, and that’s exactly how we conducted ourselves.’ The morning of the All-Ireland final however, didn’t quite materialise as the Dublin camp had envisaged. The team bus was late to pick the players up at their meeting point in the St Brigid’s GAA club, which forced them to begin some of their preparations ahead of their arrival at Croke Park. But they adapted well to the sudden change of plan, and made it work to their advantage. ‘I remember Cliodhna O’Connor who was the goalkeeper that day. When we were sitting in St Brigid’s, she looked at her watch and said she was supposed to be doing her warm-up and the bus still hadn’t arrived. ‘We did our team talk in St Brigid’s, so we were trying to tick a few of the boxes and get some stuff out of the way. We were calm but we were nervous. ‘In ways I think it was a good start to the day because we were a little bit distracted in terms of we were all waiting on the bus and we didn’t have long in Croke Park to let it rise too much. By the time we got there we were busy hitting our targets to get on the pitch that we were nearly on the pitch before we knew it.’

Despite finally capturing their first All-Ireland that year, they failed to add more titles in the subsequent years. For Masterson, further hardship was to follow in 2012 when she was unexpectedly dropped off the panel along with fellow All-Ireland winner Siobhán McGrath.

The Ballymun Kickhams player had no warning that this decision was coming, and says she ‘was never the same player’ again after the experience.

‘Suffice to say we were devastated and they wouldn’t be happy memories at all for us, we were both very upset at the time. Neither of us saw it coming, it was really out of the blue.

‘Both of us suffered that summer, I actually went to America and played a bit of football. We’d given up a lot of our lives to play for Dublin and we were very disappointed to be dropped from the panel the way in which we were.

‘But we went back after in 2013 and I suppose you try and forget those memories, because my playing career with Dublin was such a happy time. Definitely, it would have had a huge impact on us, both personally not just football.’

‘You try not to dwell on the negatives, and it was a very big negative, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t impact (on me). But these things happen and you learn as you get older.’

Masterson featured in the 2014 All-Ireland final that also yielded heartbreak for Dublin, and many of her team-mates are back in Croke Park again to contest a fourth successive All-Ireland this weekend.

Unlike the previous years, Mayo will be the challengers on this occasion, as they look to win their first title since 2003.

But despite that difference in opposition, Masterson still expects Dublin to edge out the tie and win their second All-Ireland.

‘I do think Dublin can beat them but it will be a very competitive game. Mayo have some super footballers. Cora is obviously one of the best Ladies footballers to have graced the game. I think it’s going to be a good game, I think it’s going to be a very physical game but I think Dublin should have enough, I hope they have enough but I do think they’ll beat Mayo.’

‘It’s going to be a very physical game, but Dublin have enough’