by Daragh Ó Conchúir
Ashling Thompson is renowned primarily for her powerhouse displays in midfield for Cork for more than a decade but her tattoos tell a tale too.
While plenty camogie players will have some ink somewhere on their bodies, there aren’t many at inter-county level with a multitude of visible patterns.
Kilkenny’s Glen Dimplex All-Ireland intermediate semi-final saviour, Danielle Morrissey is one, however. Bring them up prompts the Conahy Shamrocks sharpshooter to chuckle.
“It’s a work in progress, I suppose,” says Morrissey. “I could tell you more about them, maybe after a pint or two! Some of them would be personal but some of them would just be a design to put on the arm. There’s always space for something else.
“Some of them are just random, like myself. A bit goofy!”
If she gives the wacky side of her character licence to breathe off the pitch – the world would be a better place if more of us did the same – Morrissey is all business on it and takes her camogie very seriously indeed.
At this week’s press event to promote the weekend’s three Glen Dimplex All-Ireland camogie finals at Croke Park (all of which are televised live on RTÉ2), Kilkenny captain, Cria Langton revealed that the 24-year-old is always the first into training. Compiling a tally of 56 points in the Championship doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a total that has come from 33 frees, two 45s and one glorious sideline, which is worth two points in camogie. That leaves a substantial contribution of 19 points from play too for Morrissey.
She isn’t just a flat-track bully either, as illustrated most recently in that aforementioned semi-final against Kerry, which set up Sunday’s 3pm clash with Cork.
The Cats were a point down in injury time when Morrissey gathered possession just inside the 45 and was fouled. It was last chance saloon as she stood over the sliotar, around 15m in from the left touchline and 43m out. There was never a doubt once the shot was struck. She ended with nine points, five from play as Seamus Farrell’s crew prevailed in the resultant extra time.
“I think it will stand to us to have that sort of game. Kerry were resilient, they just kept coming. They were strong girls and it’s good to get tough games. We had a few tough games throughout the campaign but that was definitely the hardest one.
“I suppose back when I was maybe 17 years of age, I had a free like that to win a minor county final with the club and I missed it. And the feeling isn’t the best. But any free to me is the same. They’re all very, very important at this level. It could have went wide, but luckily, it went over.
“I have a routine that I go through before every free. I knew that that was going to be the last puck of the ball. I think I won that free myself as well. So I was a bit shook! I took my time, but I was just glad it went over the bar.”
There have been plenty of hurdles for Morrissey to clear to get to this juncture, the most recent being last year’s torn ACL in training on May 11.
After a period away from the inter-county fray, she had accepted Farrell’s invitation to join the intermediate squad and such was her form, she had broken back onto the senior panel when the injury occurred that kept her out of action for a full year.
“Just bad luck, I suppose. I went to turn and the foot got stuck… I had surgery done in June, and I came back, and my first game with the intermediates was against Carlow in the championship (on May 25). It was a tough year. I didn’t expect to be starting in an All-Ireland final though and it’s great to be here.”
Morrissey was a prodigious talent and burst onto the inter-county scene when called into the senior ranks by Ann Downey while still a fifth year student in 2017. So good was she that Downey had her in for competitive in-house games prior to the All-Ireland final triumph the previous September.
She won a League medal in her debut season and started the All-Ireland final, when Kilkenny were dethroned by Julia White’s remarkable injury time winner.
Morrissey would add a second League to the CV the following year and be involved in two more All-Ireland deciders, coming on as a sub in 2019 when the Stripeywomen were undone by Galway’s goals.
“I had great years playing senior and being a part of the panels. I probably never really got going to an extent. I was kind of in and out. I was a young player back then.
“I stepped away then and I think that was the best thing I could have done at the time. Seamus rang me two years ago now and asked me to go back in. I said I’d think about it. Then I said, I might as well go back in and see how I go. And I haven’t looked back. It’s been brilliant. It’s probably the best choice I’ve ever made.
“You go through parts like that in your life when you’re not enjoying it and you’re not playing. But every team needs a panel at the end of the day. I’ve been there. I’ve been that girl sitting on the bench training three, four nights a week, but you’ll eventually get there. That’s probably what I’d say to any younger camogie player.”
Happiness in her professional life has added to Morrissey’s happiness, working on a project control team with Pfizers in Newbridge. It provides a necessary balance, another channel for her to contribute.
“It keeps me out of trouble anyway! It’s good. It’s nice to take a break from the camogie sometimes and enjoy work too. I’m lucky enough to say I enjoy work.”
Getting back to Croke Park for an All-Ireland final is a dream but having been involved in three losing squads at senior level, it is all about the result at this stage.
“It’s to go and do the job now. We know Cork from previous years and they’re a tough outfit. We’ll embrace the challenge and see what happens.”
