MILLIE Condon’s seemingly endless engine has quickly transformed the Ballinascarthy native into one of the most reliable performers in the Cork camogie set-up.

The Rebel has also driven Bal to back-to-back county titles, with the Carbery club stepping up into the premier intermediate championship this year.

Condon has carried that same irrepressible work rate into the inter-county game, starting every championship game in midfield for Ger Manley's Rebels this season.

The Bal ace is one of six players to start every game for the Cork seniors this year, alongside Libby Coppinger, Amy Lee, Emma Murphy, Ava Fitzgerald and Meabh Murphy. That underlines the trust Ger Manley has placed in Condon.

For her club coach Kevin Walsh, that tireless work ethic is second nature to the 21-year-old.

‘When I see Millie play, what stands out is she is like a Duracell Bunny,’ Bal coach Kevin Walsh told The Southern Star.

‘She’s up and down the pitch. There's a ball there to be won in a ruck, and all of a sudden she’s coming out with it and she’s gone. No one can catch her.

‘Millie always had the basics and that speed. She's like that comfort blanket that helps everyone out on the pitch. If someone is in trouble, Millie is the one racing back to make a covering tackle. There’s very few girls that you come across that can match her drive.

‘Millie's big strength is that she's super competitive. She’s also skilful and has plenty of pace.

‘In a county set-up, versatility, while in one way can come against you, it's great another way. If you’re a manager and you have someone injured or someone missing, you know that you have the likes of Millie who can slot in anywhere.’

Millie Condon lifts the O’Duffy Cup in 2024. Hopefully she will get her hands on it again this Sunday.

Bal captain Kaela O’Driscoll shares the same belief. As a defender, O’Driscoll gets to mark Condon at training. No surprise, the Cork star is a handful.

‘She just never stops. She’s constantly talking to people around her, constantly moving, always switched on,’ O’Driscoll explained.

‘The ball could be at the other end of the pitch and she’s still moving. The amount of ground she covers is incredible. Not a blade of grass is left untouched when Millie’s playing. You’re spending half the game trying to keep up with her. Your own game is forgotten about. She's any team's worst nightmare to come up against.

‘Millie is an absolute powerhouse to play alongside – she boosts the team. Her energy alone going into matches is just massive and it trickles down into all of us. Her work rate is immense,’ O’Driscoll explained.

‘She sets the tempo and we match her. Having that leadership is huge. For younger girls, she’s so approachable as a teammate. She's so steady and calm that everyone around her is boosted by her confidence and her character.’

Condon's first-half goal in the Rebels’ All-Ireland semi-final win over Tipperary in Thurles summed up exactly what she is all about.

‘Me and my dad were watching it and we both shot up in the air because she was sitting on the ground and had dislocated her finger a few minutes before. But when she takes a knock, she never stays down,’ the Bal captain said.

‘Only Millie Condon could dislocate her finger and score a goal a few minutes after. You could tell when she had received the ball in the forward line, there was only one place that was going. Her composure was out of this world.’

Not only is Condon well known in her local community on the pitch but off it as well.

Drive through Ballinascarthy on the N71 and, opposite the Model-T, there's a sign wishing Millie the best of luck in the All-Ireland final, just as there was before her All-Ireland U23 final in May and her minor final in 2023. Cork won both.

She used to work in Balbru Drive Thru Coffee, just behind the Village Store, and was often seen chatting to customers about the latest game over a coffee.

‘We're all claiming Millie as a family member at this stage! We’re so proud of her,’ O’Driscoll said.

‘The community feels hugely boosted from all of her achievements.

‘She was working in Balbru there for a while and some people were going for a coffee just to have a chat with her about a certain match or getting on the Cork panel. She’s an absolute delight to have around the place and such a pleasure to call her a friend,’ Bal captain O’Driscoll added.

Millie Condon celebrates with her family after the All-Ireland semi-final against Tipperary.

What's more, Condon tries to make as many training sessions in Bal as possible, whether it's inter-county season or not.

‘When she’s not training with Cork and we’re training or playing a match, Millie’s the first one up there pucking around the ball and talking to everyone. She's the first one sitting in the dugout supporting the girls on match day. She’s a real squad player,’ coach Walsh added.

‘She's very accessible. It's not as if she goes off with Cork and she goes missing. It’s quite the opposite. She’s always around, which is great for everyone because it creates a better vibe with the club. I don't think there's a week goes by where she isn’t at training.

‘In our set-up, we have a great bit of banter and a bit of craic. Millie’s the first one to give a comment and look for a bit of a laugh. Then with her teammates, they all obviously look up to her but she doesn't come in shouting the odds. It's encouragement. She’s the perfect role model. Someone who wears the Cork jersey. She comes back to Bal and it’s all good vibes.’

Still only 21, Condon is already a vital cog in the Cork machine, yet those closest to her believe her best years are still ahead. The 2022 West Cork Sports Star Paudie Palmer Youth Award winner is just getting started.

‘The whole village would back me here – Millie is already one of the greatest for Bal, but she can go on to become a huge player for Cork,’ O’Driscoll admitted.

‘She has the mindset, the attitude, the engine and the skill. She is just one of these players that seem to be a freak of nature.’

Walsh feels there is plenty more to come from Bal’s diamond too.

‘Her ceiling is very high, and there are things she’s working away on. You'd see the improvement there year on year. She has that speed, that skill and that competitiveness you need. Millie can go as far as she wants to go because she has all the attributes,’ the coach concluded, as Condon looks to end an impressive inter-county season on a high.