NIAMH Mallon hadn’t any major sporting engagements last weekend. That has made it an unusual few days for the former Down captain who is doubly involved with her adopted county of Galway.
This weekend will be different.First up, tomorrow Niamh and the camogie team head to UMPC Nowlan Park in Kilkenny for an All-Ireland semi-final where they will face Tipperary, the team that beat them in the Very National League Division 1A final back in April.
Then, on Sunday she is part of the Galway footballers’ back-room team who will take on Armagh in Croke Park in the All-Ireland football decider.
The Portaferry native was approached by Pádraic Joyce to come in as nutritionist back in the winter.
“Pádraic (Joyce) rang me one evening and asked if I would come in to work with the footballers. The gig came through my work in Orreco; that’s how he got in touch.
“It’s a different side to nutrition that I would be used to in my day job. I have only really been used to the consultancy side of things for five or six years, but working in the team environment is hugely stimulating and very enjoyable. Yeah it has really worked out well for me. I am really enjoying it.
“I have been used to the team environment for my whole life in sport and I love it. There’s huge interest in the football team in Galway of course and things are going really well for them.”
Mallon is hoping that by the time she boards the footballers’ bus for Croke Park, she is looking forward to her own final there a fortnight on.
But the camogie team will have to avenge a narrow defeat by Tipperary there more than three months ago. That game saw Mallon get her first on-field action with the team that she had transferred to earlier in spring.
“I have been living and working in Galway since 2018,” said Mallon, who has been selected on the first four Ulster teams of the year selected by readers of The Irish News and was Player of the Year in 2020 after leading Down to the All-Ireland intermediate title.
“I was travelling home to play for club and county and the commute was simply getting too much. It made sense to transfer to Galway as I was working in Orreco and then involved with the footballers.
“I picked up a couple of injuries and didn’t get into the team during the league. Then I came in as a sub in the final.”
Her 15-minute cameo produced three points and a couple of fouls that should have delivered two more points as Galway came back to almost snatch victory from Tipperary.
“I wouldn’t say that I was pleased with how I played that day; you are never happy when you lose a game. But when you are new to a panel as talented as Galway, it was nice to put down a marker.”
Mallon followed it up with 10 points in the opening group game in the All-Ireland series, before picking up an injury that kept her out of the team until they played Clare. The ex-Down captain tagged on 2-4 that day before being substituted in the 40th minute and then shooting off to link up with Joyce’s football team.
The final group game saw them well beaten by Cork and they needed to lift themselves off the deck within a week to face last year’s beaten finalists Waterford in Croke Park three weeks ago.
“We didn’t play well against Cork and there was massive hurt there. We have standards set for ourselves and we didn’t meet them at all in that game. But we cleared the air at training on the Tuesday evening and re-focussed. Some players just pushed on and wanted to be in the team and we got a massive performance today.
“There is good competition for places in the panel and a couple of players put their hand up during the week before that game and were given their chance.
‘’The management used a lot of players over the five group games and we know that we have about 25/26 players now who can contribute.
“Waterford are a really competitive team and we were really pleased to get the win.”
Both Galway and Waterford played with extra defenders, something Mallon got accustomed to during her years in a Down jersey when she was very much the forward to watch.
“I don’t blame teams putting sweepers in. We have six serious forwards and sometimes teams have to use extra players to close down the space to stop Aoife Donohue, to stop Niamh Niland, Carrie Dolan. Every team does it. I am just a cog in the wheel, and delighted to be part of it.
“We now have another tough encounter on Saturday in Nowlan Park. It would be great to get revenge for the defeat in the league final. But we know it won’t be easy for us at all.”
Whatever the outcome against Tipperary on Saturday, Mallon will be on the bus to an All-Ireland final on Sunday.
But her real aim is to have another All-Ireland final day for Galway early next month.
