Flying the Flag for Ladies Football
- Apr 05,2018
NETBALL BUDDIES PARK PROMOTION RIVALRY /
FLYING THE FLAG FOR LADIES FOOTBALL
Richard Bullick
Being selected as the offical flag-bearer for Team NI at yesterday’s Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony was richly deserved recognition for outstanding dual sportswoman Caroline O’Hanlon.
The Armagh ladies footballing great is currently in Australia as captain of the Northern Ireland netball team having successfully combined both sports at the highest level for the past decade and a half.
The 33-year-old doctor from Bessbrook proudly led the 90-strong Team NI, featuring athletes from 13 different sports, into the Carrara Stadium for the lavish opening ceremony which was televised live on BBC1 and scores of countries across the world.
“I was shocked to be asked and humbled to be given this huge honour. I’m exceptionally proud to lead out such a talented team of competitors from across the sporting spectrum. It will be emotional I’m sure, especially when I think of all those who have helped me throughout my career,” reflected Caroline ahead of the ceremony.
The 33-year-old is proud of her Armagh roots, as symbolised by the orange footwear she sports on the netball court, and being given the honour of flag-bearer reflects O’Hanlon’s superstar status in both her sports.
Orchard ace O’Hanlon and Tyrone captain Neamh Woods have put their NFL Division Two promotion rivalry on hold to team up for the Northern Ireland netball team at the Gold Coast Games.
O’Hanlon captains a squad of 12 which also includes current Ulster Schools All Star Michelle Magee, who helped Carryduff to a first Down senior title last season and was part of the Antrim county panel. The teenage prospect is the only player in this squad aged under 25.
Meanwhile Elaine Rice, the only part-time head coach at this tournament, played an important role as analyst in Paddy Tally’s backroom team for last season’s famous Sigerson Cup success by St Mary’s University College where she is employed as senior lecturer in PE.
When Glenavy-based Derrywoman Rice first took charge a decade ago, Northern Ireland were ranked outside the world’s top 20 but she has steered them to their present all-time high of eighth in the standings.
Beating Barbados in last June’s Quad Series tournament final clinched their tickets to Gold Coast 2018 and since then the team has won silver medals at October’s European Championships and secured qualification for next year’s World Cup.
Incidentally NI’s strength and conditioning coach is former Derry goalkeeper Eoin McNicholl who believes the players are in as good shape as the full-time teams who will be fighting it out for the Commonwealth medals.
Captain O’Hanlon and her girls in green face a daunting task today (Thur) however when they take on world champions and host nation Australia in the prime slot on the opening night of the netball tournament in front of a capacity crowd of over 5000.
“Australia are the best team in the world so we’re under no illusions but we’re really looking forward to what will be an unforgettable experience. Netball’s huge here and the atmosphere in arena is sure to be phenomenal,” enthuses O’Hanlon.
“We’ve worked very hard to get ourselves onto the biggest stage and it will be an honour going out there in that green dress knowing we’re representing people back home.
“There has been fantastic support not just from within netball but other sports too and I’m grateful for the many messages from the gaelic games family. I can’t thank Armagh enough for being behind me so enthusiastically even though being here has meant missing matches.
“I think back to last June and the euphoria after beating Barbados in the Quad Series final in Lisburn but not being quite sure it would be enough for qualification. Now we’re here in Australia and all the effort feels worthwhile.
“The real lows, like being ranked 21st in the world before Elaine came in originally, or missing out on the 2007 and 2015 World Cups, just make me appreciate the good times more and determined to make the most of them,” reflects Caroline.
“Most of this squad had the privilege of competing at Glasgow 2014 when being so close to home meant more family and friends could be there. I’ll always remember the orange and white Armagh flags in the arena. This time we’re on the other side of the world so it’s different but brilliant too.
“I’m fortunate enough to have played in two Netball World Cups but our sport can sometimes slip under the wider radar so Glasgow definitely felt bigger, being part of a multi-sport event. Netball is very much a Commonwealths sport and the top12 countries are all at the Games.
“With netball unfortunately not being in the Olympics yet, the Commonwealths are the biggest platform for our sport. That and the fact we finished seventh last time made the Glasgow Games my career highlight to date and now we want to push hard for fresh success.”
With Australia a fully professional side and more than half their team standing 6’3” or over, today’s match could feel like women against girls but, while wanting to put their best foot forward, the outcome of this showcase occasion won’t define Northern Ireland’s tournament.
Although all of the best teams in the world are eligible to compete, O’Hanlon’s side have enjoyed an outstandingly successful last 12 months and are aiming to at least emulate that great achievement of finishing seventh at Glasgow 2014.
They will have a crack at upsetting South Africa on Saturday in between facing the mighty Aussies and global giants Jamaica on Sunday, but victories in their last two group games against Barbados and Fiji next Tuesday and Wednesday would guarantee a top eight place.
If Northern Ireland finish fourth in their group, they would likely face formidable African outfit Uganda or celtic cousins Scotland or Wales in next Thursday’s seventh place play-off, the final fixture of an intense schedule featuring six tough games in eight days.
Although undoubtedly better known in GAA circles as Ulster ladies football’s leading light who has three All Stars to her name and won All Ireland Player of the Year in 2014 in spite of also starring in that summer’s Commonwealth Games, world-class centre O’Hanlon is the pivotal player and taliswoman who makes this NI netball team tick.
A regular in the starting seven since the 2003 World Cup in Jamaica the summer she left school, O’Hanlon currently lines out for Manchester Thunder in the Sky-televised British SuperLeague, is Northern Ireland’s most capped player of all-time and now the most successful captain in their history.
European Player of 2010, she was named NI Player of the Tournament as Rice’s side reached the quarter-finals for the first time ever at the following year’s World Cup in Singapore and won overall Player of the Tournament when NI lifted the 2015 Nations Cup in the Far East.
Incidentally the mid-court trio in that trophy-winning team had all captained their respective counties in the All Ireland Senior Championship that summer with Down’s Laura Mason joining Tyrone’s Woods and Armagh’s O’Hanlon.
NI goalkeeper Gemma Gibney plays club football for Loughinisland with Mason and was previously involved with Down while English-based squad member Michelle Drayne represented Antrim in the past.
Derry footballer Emma Doherty, All Ireland Junior Player of the Year last season, was part of Rice’s Irish Students squad which finished fourth at the 2012 World University Games in South Africa.
Dearbhla Coleman, Ulster Young Footballer of the Year in 2016, is the current NI Under 17 netball captain and her Clann Eireann clubmate Clodagh McCambridge captained Kingsway against county colleague O’Hanlon’s Larkfield in last April’s NI Senior Cup final.
O’Hanlon has been club captain for the past decade of Lisburn-based Larkfield, who recently wrapped up a fifth NI Premier League title on the trot with a strong side including Woods and Northern Ireland’s formidable forward duo of siblings Lisa and Kyla Bowman.
Talented all-rounders Woods and O’Hanlon have won interpro titles together with Ulster and enjoyed netball success as team-mates at club and international level but they could yet find themselves on opposing sides in next month’s Lidl National League Division Two final.
Wins for Armagh and Tyrone this Sunday would guarantee the Ulster rivals their top four play-off places, with the semi-finals set to take place exactly a week after the Gold Coast closing ceremony.
Currently in her 17th consecutive season with Armagh, Carrickcruppen clubwoman O’Hanlon captained Armagh to their last Ulster title triumph in 2014, between back-to-back NFL promotions, and consecutive All Ireland semi-finals, while fellow All Star Woods of Drumragh led Tyrone to last September’s Intermediate decider at Croke Park.
