There’s always light at end of tunnel!
CONNOLLY’S PHILOSOPHY FOR LIFE
THE tattoo on Megan Connolly’s left arm hints at the journey she has taken so far.
‘Everything happens for a reason’, it reads.
“More so life than football,” explained the Cork girl. “It’s a belief I have with everything, really.
“Obviously it’s hard to put it into results. You lose 1-0, the first thing I think about isn’t, ‘Everything happens for a reason’.
“But it’s more with life, how I kind of view things in the good and the bad really.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Connolly (inset) plays for Brighton and, following an impressive scoreless draw with big-hitters Manchester City on Sunday, travelled with team-mates Denise
O’sullivan and Rianna Jarrett to Duisburg to join their Ireland team-mates ahead of Saturday’s European qualifier against hot favourites Germany.
The aim is to come away with something in Essen but, as Ireland are currently top of Group I, qualification hopes will probably come down to how they fare in Ukraine next month.
Connolly recognises the need for defensive solidity and for composure against such superior opposition.
And she points to the leadership now present in the team from new Liverpool captain Niamh Fahey, from Harriet Scott and Diane Caldwell among others.
“We’re in a position now where ownership of your role is big in this team,” said Connolly.
“We’re at a position now where everyone has that belief. We’re in a position to achieve something big.”
Still only 23, she speaks with a maturity that comes from her own experience.
She moved to Florida State University on a scholarship at 17 after finishing secondary school.
“Even to this day, I think back to that time as making me who I am, really,” said the midfielder.
“Where I went was a very professional environment for three and a half years – good times, bad times, especially being so far away from home.
“You can talk to your parents, but they’re not there. I had to take it upon myself to grow and develop.”
She played regularly during the first two years, but then struggled for starts over the final two.
Connolly brought her psychology studies to bear on her situation. She elaborated: “So it’s a case of, what kind of team-mate do you want to be?
“Do you want to be that person who doesn’t play and people look at and think, ‘Right, I don’t really want her on my team because when she’s not playing she doesn’t really help’?
“Or do you want to be that character off the pitch who builds your team-mates up, and when you get that last 10 or 15 minutes, you make a difference and give your all for everybody?
“I learned a lot about that over there. Definitely being in America shaped me.
“That’s a big switch I’ve had, not looking too much on the negatives but looking at every opportunity as something to learn from.
“You can look at bad results, bad performances, bad things and let them knock you quite a bit.
“But it’s flipping that and looking at it as an opportunity to learn and grow. I think I’ve done that a lot on my journey.”