ERIKA O’Shea admits she’s gutted she won’t be lining out with Cork in their crunch All-Ireland senior football championship showdown with Kerry this Saturday afternoon.
The Macroom woman is currently in the grips of pre-season with AFLW side North Melbourne, having flown back to Australia earlier this month.
She had hoped to play in Cork’s All-Ireland series, but the stars didn’t align. Instead, O’Shea (22) will be cheering on her team-mates from Melbourne this Saturday.
‘Pre-season here started around five weeks ago so we’re in the middle of it now. I came out a bit late because I was still involved with Cork; I couldn’t push it any later. Our first (AFLW) game is in August so we have a good run-in,’ O’Shea told The Southern Star.
‘I knew I had to come back but was hoping I would get the Cork season under my belt. Unfortunately it didn’t work out like that, but I know how lucky I am too to have this opportunity here so I want to make the most of it.’
This will be O’Shea’s fourth season playing Aussie Rules, and having won the AFLW Premiership title last season with North Melbourne she has enjoyed great success in Oz. Still, the 2021 All-Star footballer has never hidden her desire to play with Cork when the opportunity arises. It did this year.
Erika O'Shea in action for North Melbourne in the AFLW.
Not involved in previous seasons, O’Shea linked up a new-look Rebels set-up, under new management with Joe Carroll in the hot-seat. News broke in January that O’Shea was back in with Cork, and she went on to help her county win promotion back up to Division 1 of the national football league. Getting the chance to play in Croke Park in the Division 2 league final against Galway was a stand-out moment. O’Shea also played every minute of Cork’s three Munster championship games against Kerry, Tipperary and Waterford, and was finding her feet with the big ball again.
‘It was very tough to get back into the rhythm of football,’ she admits.
‘I was very lucky with the management, they brought me in at a slow pace, put no pressure on me and they really helped me to start loving football again. I can’t speak highly enough of the management and how they got me back playing football. I hadn't played with Cork in the previous few years so that in itself took a toll, to come back in and pick up the skills again. I had to work on tackling alright, but they were very patient with me!’
O’Shea loved every moment of her first season back in with Cork. It sparked the fire again. This is a young group with a high ceiling, and the Macroom footballer doesn’t hesitate when asked if she’ll link back up with the Rebels again if the chance arises.
‘Without a doubt, 100 percent,’ she says.
‘This is such a special group – I definitely want to be part of the success they are going to have in the future because they will have success.
‘There is a lot of talent in this group and it’s really exciting to see what they can achieve – I’ve seen the hard work that they are putting in and hopefully they get the results they deserve in the next few weeks.
‘To be part of a young group like that was exciting, and there is so much talent there. It’s a young team, a fast team, but there is a lot of experience there too – look at Áine Terry (O’Sullivan) and players like her. When you have players like (Áine) Terry setting the tone, it raises the standard because she has been there and done that.’
Cork kick off their All-Ireland campaign at home to Kerry in Páirc Uí Chaoimh this Saturday afternoon (2.30pm). The Kingdom are the reigning All-Ireland, Division 1 league and Munster champions so will be expected to pick up a second group win, having beaten Mayo 0-13 to 1-4 last weekend.
For Cork, it’s a free shot in one sense, given the expectation of a Kerry win. The Rebels know that it’s going to come down to the final group clash with Mayo to decide, in all likelihood, who takes the runner-up spot in Group 2. Erika O’Shea would love to be in Cork GAA HQ on Saturday, but will keep up to date with the game from Melbourne.
‘It was very difficult to leave,’ she says.
‘It was one of the years I enjoyed most with football. It’s just a pity I didn’t get to play in the All-Ireland championship with the girls. We tried our best to keep me at home for the rest of the season, but when it didn’t work out they said I could train with the girls until I left.
‘The move back to Australia never gets easier because I get so settled at home when I’m there. Being involved with Cork this year made it even harder to leave. I got on so well with the girls, really liked the management and thought the whole set-up was great – it was tough to leave that, though I am happy to be back here and grateful for the opportunity I have with North Melbourne these last few seasons and I don’t take that for granted either.’
O’Shea’s now preparing for an AFLW season where her club, North Melbourne, will be the team to beat. That’s a challenge in itself, to deal with that new reality of the hunter becoming the hunted. She’ll take it all her stride though, like she is with the cold weather.
‘It’s winter here at the moment and it’s freezing! The cold weather here is like home – people don’t think that when they think of Australia. When it’s cold, it’s cold,’ she laughs, hoping the Cork footballers will warm her up with a shock win against the Kingdom this Saturday.
