All-Ireland Intermediate semi-final (Sunday, February 20, 2.30pm, Abbottstown, Dublin): Portaferry (Down) v Salthill-Knocknacarra (Galway)
Portaferry camogie captain Catherine Coleman finds it difficult to believe how her playing career has been resurrected seven years after she "finished".
The Derry-born school-teacher transferred to Portaferry in 2011 at a time when the club was struggling in Down's lower divisions. Neighbouring Ballycran were the champions that year.
"We worked hard over the next few years and reached a senior final in 2014, but we lost to Clonduff. We had Niamh (Mallon) coming through at the time. But other clubs could afford to double and treble mark her and we were not able to make the break-through."
With three children, a busy job in the local school and on the wrong side of 30, Catherine felt it was time to hang up her hurl.
"I thought that was the end of it. I had enjoyed my time playing camogie, initially with Glen in the Derry leagues and then for those three or four years in Portaferry.
"The children were arriving and time really had caught up with me.
"But social camogie started in Portaferry shortly before Covid hit. I went down to enjoy that and then someone asked me to go back training. So I did and the next thing here we are and I have an Ulster medal."
But how did the returned defender become captain so soon after starting back?
"I don't know. I think someone thought I can talk a bit and, well, I am older than all of them. That maybe swung it for me. But it has been an unbelievable season for the club and I feel so blessed to be part of it."
Turning to the recent Ulster final in which Portaferry hung on to claim their first title, Catherine tries to compare it to the Down final back in November, a game Portaferry also won by a single point.
"I think we felt more confident near the end of the Down final. It just felt as if we were in control. In the Ulster final there was always the chance that Eglish could get a killer score near the end.
"They have so many great players through the team, and we had seen them beat Clonduff in the 2020 final. We knew it would be a really tough game.
"The 15 minutes before half-time won it. We changed round from chasing the game to being ahead and that gave us real confidence going into the second half.
"I felt we worked very hard as a team. I know you cannot dismiss the Niamh-factor (Mallon), but Portaferry had lost six or seven Down finals because we had no support for Niamh. That team-work backing up Niamh's scoring was what won us all the games in this championship season."
And of course the season is still running for the blue and gold team at the foot of the Ards peninsula.
"My home club Glen won an Ulster junior title before Christmas and then lost an All-Ireland semi-final by a couple of points. There was huge excitement about the place at the time.
"We are in the middle of preparations for the All-Ireland semi-final against Salthill-Knocknacarra and you can feel the excitement building. Just 60 minutes away from a final in Croke Park. Who would have believed that a couple of years ago?"
