BACK FROM THE EDGE
Dowling reveals Cats’ turning point
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BRIAN DOWLING admits another Glen Dimplex All-Ireland camogie final loss for Kilkenny in 2020 could have ended some players’ careers.
That was Dowling’s first season as boss and he sensed the desperation of his players after three consecutive final failures.
Croke Park was empty for that December 2020 final victory over Galway but the breakthrough still meant everything to long-suffering players.
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Experienced icons like Denise Gaule, Grace Walsh and Claire Phelan will return for Sunday’s decider against Cork with fond memories of ending their AllIreland hoodoo.
Dowling said: “It was a strange final with no crowd but looking back it probably suited us because there was huge pressure going into that one.
“We had lost three finals in a row — to lose a fourth would have been absolutely disastrous.
“Without having the crowd there, it didn’t really build up the occasion and I think it just took the pressure off the girls.
“To lose that final, I don’t know whether some of them would still be playing today, I just think there was so much baggage there.
“That year, there was a cloud over us and it finally lifted after that match.”
Cork stopped holders Kilkenny at the semi-final stage last season, though Dowling insists that Sunday isn’t about revenge.
Building
He said: “It’s not revenge because this year was more so about building again because we lost so many players from last year, to retirements and injuries.
“It was just about trying to get our team right and I suppose we targeted the Leinster Championship early on in the year.
“We won that and that gave us a lot of confidence.
“But we didn’t really know where we were until we went up to Athenry and we knew leaving there that we had a decent team and that we were able to put it up to Galway.
“Then we got Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter-final, got Galway again after that and to beat Galway was great because we have a lot of new girls and that gave us confidence going into the final now.”
It’s been a tough year for Dowling.
Back in March, a fire gutted the home of his elderly uncles Dominic and Oliver, taking Oliver’s life and leaving Dominic homeless.
It came just weeks after Paul Shefflin, brother of Kilkenny coach Tommy Shefflin, passed away suddenly while out running.
Helpful
Ex-Kilkenny hurler Dowling said: “It was tough. In fairness, the camogie really helps things and the girls being there has been really helpful to go and train and stuff like that, it helps take your mind off it.
“Obviously to win an AllIreland would really top off the whole year for us.
“That (grief) will never go away, especially for the likes of Tommy who lost his brother, that will never go away.
“But I’m sure it will help in a small way if we get over the line against Cork.”
Uncle
A GoFundMe page was set up to help Dowling’s uncle Dominic to rebuild his life from scratch and raised tens of thousands of euros.
Among the first to put their hands in their pockets or simply offer their condolences were camogie and hurling teams and players that Dowling had been doing battle with for years, the Rebels included.
Dowling said: “A lot of the Cork players and Matthew (Twomey, manager) contacted me and offered their condolences.
“That meant a lot at the time and they did not have to do that.
“For 60 minutes on the pitch, we will be rivals but we will shake hands afterwards.”