O’Hanlon is still going strong in her 23rd season!
SHE has already given remarkable service to her county and with three wins from three in this year’s Lidl National Football League Division 1, Caroline O’Hanlon is delighted with her decision to return for a 23rd season with Armagh.
Three years after her adult inter-county debut, O’Hanlon helped the Orchard County claim the 2005 All-Ireland junior crown — back when such a feat gained you promotion to the top tier. She registered 0-2 from midfield the following year as Armagh lost out by a point to Cork in the TG4 All-Ireland senior decider, before getting her hands on another national crown in 2012 after the Ulster side defeated Waterford in an intermediate showpiece at Croke Park.
Along with a plethora of provincial titles, O’Hanlon has also won Division Two three times — the most recent of those coming in April of last year. However, a combination of injuries and her commitments to Netball Super League outfit Leeds Rhinos saw her drop out of the panel ahead of the 2023 championship.
This raised doubts over whether she’d feature again for Armagh, but an off-season chat with new manager Greg McGonigle, who previously managed the side in 2009, ultimately led to her returning to the fold and she played a starring role in their recent league wins over Waterford and Cork.
‘I obviously go way back with Greg, he was my first coach when I went to college. That’s going back a few years, to say the least! He chatted to me when he came on board and I’ve a lot of trust in how he approaches teams. He has a similar outlook on how the team should be playing. That was a big factor in coming on board,’ said O’Hanlon.
‘I’m really happy with how that has gone. He’s got a really good balance in the backroom team, it’s a really nice dynamic and the girls seem to be responding really well. I feel like it has been really refreshing. I’m delighted with the decision at this stage.’
After a break for the top two divisions last weekend, Armagh will be back in action tomorrow against Meath. Like the Orchard women and champions Kerry, the Royals also have a 100% record from their opening three games of Division 1 and are being guided by a man who is familiar to O’Hanlon and her inter-county colleagues.
After three years with Armagh, two as a selector and one as a manager, former Kildare goalkeeper Shane McCormack assumed the Meath hot seat for 2024. This adds considerable intrigue to tomorrow’s encounter, but O’Hanlon is trying not to pay too much attention to the opposition.
‘Meath seem to be going really well. Obviously we know that they’ve got a lot of quality, that speaks for itself. They’ll be a tough opponent. Delighted to see Shane doing well, but I think from our perspective, we’re not really focusing too much on Meath. We’re still trying to build ourselves.
‘Adapt into the new style that the guys want us to be playing. We’re still very much focused on what we’re about. We’ll just prepare for each game and look forward to it. You want to see where you’re at against the best teams in the country and that’s what playing in Division One is about.’
Tomorrow’s clash in Ashbourne isn’t the only item on O’Hanlon’s agenda this weekend, however, as there is the small matter of Leeds Rhinos’ Super League opener against Severn Stars at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham this morning.
Since she first signed up to this competition with Team Northumbria in 2014, O’Hanlon has found herself having to strike a balance between her two sporting passions.
She normally trains with Rhinos in England on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, before returning to train with Armagh on Thursdays. Despite being under contract across the water at the Yorkshire-based club, she also works as a GP for a number of days when she is on home soil.
‘It’s not new to me, but obviously it doesn’t get easier as time goes on!
‘It’s about managing it and I’ve trained to do that. Hopefully we’ll be able to perform at both.’
“I feel like it’s been really refreshing”