NOT to be outdone by male counterpart Martin Scannell, the Arabian Celts Ladies captain Orla Reilly has returned from the second annual GAA World Games in Dublin with a medal to show for her considerable efforts as part of the Middle East Senior Ladies representative side that claimed the Shield title.
Unfortunately for Reilly and her Middle East teammates, they failed to retain the overall world title they had won in Abu Dhabi last year as a surprise defeat to Australasia in the second round group stage put paid to their chance of a place in the main Senior Cup final at the iconic Croke Park stadium.
Things had started well for the reigning champions on the opening day at the University College Dublin (UCD) sports grounds as they comfortably saw off the challenges of Canada, Asia and London club side Father Murphy’s.
Gear
In typical Irish summer style, the bright and dry conditions for round one were in stark contrast to the rain and winds for round two and it took a while for the Middle East ladies to get into gear before securing a healthy victory over Asia in their opening game.
That gear proved elusive in game two against last year’s beaten finalists Australasia and ultimately left them with too much to do in their final group match against tournament favourites and eventual champions Tir Chonaill Gaels.
After such bitter disappointment, it says a lot for the character of the squad and the players involved that they were able to regroup for the Shield final and produce their best performance arguably of the tournament in handsomely defeating Asia for a third time.
As the only member of the squad from outside the heavyweight Dubai Celts and Abu Dhabi Na Fianna clubs, Reilly acquitted herself superbly throughout the tournament and, although bittersweet, the experience is expected to stand her in good stead ahead of the new season.
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