Player focus on Offaly’s Elaine Dermody

In our second week of our championship player profile, Offaly sharp shooter Elaine Dermody chats all things camogie and why she wants to attend the 2011 Rugby World Cup…read more

Name: Elaine Dermody

Club: Drumcullen

County: Offaly

Occupation : Underwriter with FBD Insurance

Honours with camogie: 11 County titles with my club, 4 Leinster Junior Club titles, Leinster U18 A title, All Ireland Junior Championship, All Ireland Intermediate Championship, 1 Gael Linn Senior medal, 2 Soaring Star Awards, UCD Player of the Year 2003

Favourite sporting moment – Winning 2 All Irelands in Croke Park was special but winning the Leinster U18 A title in 1999, beating Kilkenny in the final was unbelievable because they had a fabulous team at the time and it was Offaly’s first underage honour at æA’ level

Worst sporting moment – Losing 2008 Junior All Ireland final and also the 2003 All Ireland Junior Club Final

Favourite camogie player –  Eimear McDonnell and Jane Adams

Favourite sports star – Dan Carter (New Zealand Rugby player) he is so talented and he looks great too !!!!!!!

Biggest sporting influence – My parents for introducing me to the sport and after that Eileen Kinsella

Do you have any pre-match rituals before big games- Not really but in the team photograph I must always stand to the left of Michaela Morkan but I am not sure why!!

Last book you read – I am not a big reader but I think it was æMy Sister’s Keeper’ – very sad 

Last film you watched – The Kings Speech

Favourite holiday destination – Crete loads of sun and fun!

Best piece of sporting advice – Always give 100% because your team mates deserve that and practice the basic skills as much as you can because they are the ones you will need the most

Worst piece of sporting advice – To think that any one player is more important than the team.

Favourite music – bit of everything – Rhianna, Adele , Snow Patrol, U2

Pre match tune- what song do you listen to before every game – No particular tune although Black Eyed Peas æI gotta feeling’ does get aired on the team bus from time to time!

If you did not play camogie, what other sport do you think you would play at a high level? I would like to think I could have played tennis but not sure I would ever have made Wimbledon!!

Top two things you would like to see changed in camogie- I would like our Association integrated fully into the GAA as I think this would bring the promotion of the game to a higher level. Also I would like to see the rule where a player can play your hurl from behind abolished because I think this penalises the player who has gotten out in front of their marker

Sports event you would most like to see – Rugby World Cup Final (preferably Ireland v New Zealand so that Tommy Bowe & Dan Carter would both be on the same pitch at the same time!!! )

“