AIB GAA Club Camogie: Ursula Jacob ‘The aim at the start of every year is to be the best’

Club and county success on an equal footing for Oulart star

Familiarity with Croke Park won't make this Sunday's AIB GAA Club senior camogie club final between Oulart The Ballagh of Wexford and Mullagh of Galway any less special for Ursula Jacob. The multiple All-Ireland winner with her native Wexford is aiming to guide her club side to just their second senior crown this weekend. She's getting ready for her sixth senior final at Croke Park and feels for camogie players getting to play there makes it extra special,

'It's any person's ambition to get to Croke Park and to play on the biggest stage. And in camogie it's that extra bit special as you can't play there unless you make it to an All-Ireland final with county or club. It's nice for the girls who don't get to play inter-county, it's an added bonus to them. When you're there its not just about playing, it's about winning too. You'll play to win the All-Ireland Final wherever its played, but Croke Park does make it special.'

29-year old Jacob has been part of the Oulart set up since she made her senior club debut at 15. She has racked up success at every level she has been involved with and was the captain of the 2011 All-Ireland winning Wexford side who were in the midst of their historic three-in-a-row success. Oulart also claimed their first All-Ireland senior club title in 2012 and the forward feels that club and county success were closely linked :

'We achieved a good bit of success with Oulart and then winning four All-Irelands with Wexford ('07,'10,'11,'12) we were very fortunate. There has been seven or eight players from Oulart on the Wexford panel and you get experience playing in Croke Park and you get to bring that back to the club then as well. It's a massive honour to play with both and for me it's very hard to choose one over the other in terms of what I enjoy more.'

The Leinster champions are based in a relatively small area of Wexford and as with any GAA clubs there is a strong family connection to the team. Ursula is joined on the side by elder sister Helena, while there is also three other sets of siblings as well as cousins that make up the basis of the starting 15. Ursula admits that sisterly rivalry can often come to the fore:

'Well there's me and Helena, Mary and Una Lacey, Karen Atkinson and Coleen,  Stacey, Sharon and Shelley Kehoe and a few cousins as well. It's the same seven or eight families that are involved in the team over the last few years. Everyone is so close and we've been playing with each other so long there's great camaraderie there and you know every little bit about each other. At times maybe the sisters can have some rows and fights at training and sure they quickly get over it you know.'

Oulart claimed their only All-Ireland senior club title to date in 2012 as they overcame Drom-Inch of Tipperary in an impressive 3-13 to 0-5 win.  They secured more local and provincial success the following season before they came across a rampant Milford side in the All-Ireland semi final of 2013 as the Cork outfit devoured the Wexford champions by 1-12 to 1-7, having led by 1-10 to no score at the break. The following season Oulart suffered a narrow county final loss to great rivals St Ibars Shelmaliers but Jacob feels that the break in late 2013 was just what the side needed:

'The aim at the start of every year is to be the best, to aim the highest and we set those goals every year. You focus on the county firstly because without that you can't do anything further. I wouldn't say the hunger was gone. The girls are as competitive as anyone and they always want to win. There has been a bit of freshness this year. When we lost the county final last year against St Ibars it gave us some time where we had for the first time in four or five years we got a break. That probably stood to us a little bit and we used that break to refresh the minds and we came back this year and we said we may not get many other chances to win an All Ireland. It's great to win Wexford and win Leinster but now that you're in an All-Ireland final that's your next step and next aim.'

Oulart's progress to the latter stages of the All-Ireland series saw them blast past Ballyboden St Enda's of Dublin before just edging Thomastown of Kilkenny in the Leinster final. Awaiting them in the last four was newly crowned Ulster champions Loughgiel who had impressed during their run through the provincial series. Jacob feels that the win over the Ulster side is just what is required ahead of an All-Ireland final:

'We did okay in Leinster but we'd a very tough test against Loughgiel and we knew a northern team would give us a huge test. That's the kind of game you want to be getting. They were as good a team as we've played, fit and fast, and going all out to win. It's been a tough campaign but that's what you expect at this stage of a competition. Any team that gets to an All-Ireland semi final is going to be extremely high standard and it's the same next Sunday.'

Awaiting the Wexford side in Sunday's final are the women of Mullagh from Galway, who won their sole senior club title in 1991. The sides have never met before, but Jacob, along with her Wexford colleagues, will be familiar with many of the Tribeswomen, having clashed at various levels in inter county action over the years :

'The Monaghan sisters Rachel and Leona, Sarah Dervin, Therese Manton and Sinead Callahan have plenty of experience with Galway and they won't fear playing in Croke Park and neither will we. They are similar to us in that they have experience and youth in the panel. It's a first time for both sides to meet and I think its going to be an extremely tough battle. Any Galway side in Croke Park are strong and tough and well able to hurl. It's going to be an extremely tough battle. We'll see how we get on.'

The camogie side have led the way where the club's men have often failed at provincial level in revent years. Jacob is well used to the building atmosphere in the parish that surrounds an All-Ireland final and she thinks that players should embrace the hype and occasion as much as they can.

You might as well enjoy the well-wishes of everybody and there's no point getting too nervous . everyone in Wexford is behind us and we're getting support from everyone. They know what we've put into it and the build up is good. Everyone's looking forward to the final and we want to keep working as a team and please god we'll get over the line.'

AIB All-Ireland Senior Camogie Club Championship Final  Mullagh (Galway) v Oulart-The Ballagh (Wexford) 3-15