GazetteSPORT all of your lucan sports coverage from page 35-39
west’s awake: Lucan hockey club start New Year with draw against Clontarf in division four P38
january 17, 2013
Six nations call-ups: Leinster players abound in Irish women’s squad P36
Claire Rigney, second from left, pictured with her 2011 Dublin U-16 player of the year award along with manager Joe Whyte, player’s player Rachel Kenny and mentor Tom Dowling
Lucan’s minor leader Claire Rigney has added to her massive list of accolades in underage camogie as she was named the captain of Dublin’s minors this week
peter carroll
sport@gazettegroup.com
LUCAN Sarsfields’s man Liam Ryan has congratulated the club’s Claire Rigney on her selection as Dublin minor camogie captain and believes the “Lucan role model” can lead the county side to their first All-Ireland minor championship based on the dominant performances of the U-16 side in 2012. “The club are absolutely thrilled with Claire receiving the captaincy,” said Ryan. “She is a fantastic club woman and I believe it is only appropriate recognition for one of the best players in the county to be given such an honour.
“At Lucan, we have known of Claire’s quality for such a long time and we always knew it was only a matter of time before the Dublin selectors would see it too. “Not only is she one of the most skilful and athletic players in the county ranks, Claire is an amazingly determined individual who has shown natural leadership skills ever since she was a young girl. “She is a role model in Lucan. She is hugely popular with players and coaches and we have no doubt that she will be hugely successful in her new capacity in her last season at minor level. “All of our success in camogie has been down to leadership in the teams and it is
something that we like to instil that in all of our teams from a very young age. Not only does every team have a specific leader on the field, but they all have to be their own leaders and leaders of their positions. “This has been an essential part of Claire’s development and she has become one of the most influential players in the county. “I truly believe that we could see Dublin win the minor All-Ireland championship continuing on from their success at U-16, and with it being Claire’s last year in the minor ranks, we believe it would be fitting to see her lifting the trophy for all of her hard work over the years. “Claire has already been drafted into the
senior ranks over the last few months and with Lucan Sarsfields players making up the backbone of the minor side, it would be a fantastic achievement for the club if they were to be successful in their All-Ireland bid. “We are really expecting great things from Claire over the next few years and we hope that we have another Johnny McCaffrey in her, in that we believe that she could easily become the Dublin senior camogie captain in the years to come. “The training for the minors has already begun and the side are in very good form so we are very confident of a great season for Claire and the side.”