ALL-IRELAND senior club titles have been relatively thin on the ground round Tyrone over the years but not so in the foot of the Sperrins where the proud locals now have two to boost of.

The girls of Sperrin Ogs last month replicated what the Greencastle boys attained four years ago when they annexed the All-Ireland Junior Club Championship crown with a hard-fought 2-9 to 1-10 victory over Aherlow of Tipperary in Dublin.

It marked the culmination of a superb Championship campaign where the side's mettle, courage, character and determination was examined on numerous occasions but never found wanting on the Tyrone, Ulster and All-Ireland stage.

One of the lynchpins of the side throughout was Tyrone defender Eimear Teague. Her class and composure, as well as admirable leadership skills, shone through in every game as Sperrin Ogs quest for glory gathered steam with each passing week.

The 25-year old received glowing praise for her huge contribution to the Sperrin Ogs cause, including being named Player of the Match in the All-Ireland Final, and while she modestly deflects attention away from her own role, she is a deserved recipient of the Ulster Herald Sports Personality of the Month Award for November.

A lecturer at South West College, Eimear has enjoyed many stellar days in the Tyrone jersey, since first being called into the county squad as a sixteen year old, but she admits that this historic club success is an honour she'll really cherish more than any other.

“ It's where you are brought up so it's extra special. Achieving an All-Ireland Final with girls from your own community who you socialise with and grew up with was brilliant and created memories that will never be taken away from us.

“ I've had great days with Tyrone, including playing in an All-Ireland at Croke Park. I suppose a lot of the younger Sperrin Og players do look up to the likes of myself and hope that having played in big matches with Tyrone, then a final with the club won't faze you. But there's a bit more pressure because with Tyrone you have a team of stars around you, but with the club there's a greater expectancy upon you.

“ But the final showed that all the girls on the Sperrin Og team are capable of stepping up. We had a great balance of youth and experience and everyone did a job. Not one person on the pitch or who came off the bench could have done any more on the day.”

Sperrin Og had to come from behind to secure their history making win. Aherlow did make it a very nervous last few minutes but on the final whistle the title was heading north amid scenes of great celebration from the large contingent of supporters who had travelled to Peregrines in Dublin for the day.

Eimear, who also works as a health development officer with Limavady Borough Council, acknowledged that the team had more than surpassed their objectives laid down at the start of the season.

“ Our hope at the start of the year was to improve on what we did last season. We won every league game last year but lost out in the Championship. We wanted to get promoted by winning a trophy and being the best in our division.

“ Anything after the Tyrone Championship was a bonus. That was our main aim going into the year. But after we won the Tyrone title against Donaghmore we were able to maintain the momentum.”

Victory in the first round of the Ulster Championship against Derry champions Faughenvale underlined to Eimear the strength of character within the squad and their desire to lift even more silverware before the completion of the 2011 season.

“ Faughenvale were winning the whole way through and we beat them in extra-time in the first round. It was dog eat dog out there and I suppose when you come from the country you are renowned for your battling qualities anyway. The girls really stepped up to the plate and it just continued on from there.”

The girls again showed tremendous heart and grit to deliver a title winning display in the Ulster Final against Inniskeen (Monaghan), with Eimear at centre-half back again leading the line superbly, and then defeated Connaght kingpins Claregalway 3-3 to 1-7 to secure a place in the All-Ireland showdown.

Eimear stated that in the weeks leading up to the final the whole community threw their full wieght behind their assault on the national title, and they were able to tap into the experiences of the mens side ahead of their date with destiny at Croke Park in 2007.

“ The preparations that went on in the parish before the final were unbelievable. We are a close knit club and the support we got from the men was brilliant. They were behind us all the way. We went down the week before to have a look at the pitch in Dublin and to get familiar with it. That gave us a bit of an upper hand.

“ On the day of the game the local priest was up blessing the team bus and everyone was up and about early.

The whole community was behind us. We had a talk night organised by Fiona Teague and Maureen Teague who put in a great effort. All the former players who had emigrated all had their good luck speeches read out so it definitely helped inspire us. There was also plenty of messages of support from around the county so we knew we weren't just doing it for ourselves.

“ Managers Micky John McDermott, Michael Fox and Darryl McCullagh who is our trainer, are three intelligent men who all bring their own strengths to the team.

Darryl is doing a sport science degree and brings his own ideas to training while the other two have a great reading of the game and see things on the sidelines that others maybe don't see. They ensured no stone was left unturned as regards preparations.”

The Greencastle community has had its fair share of triumphs to savour over the years but the GAA community has also been hit hard by tragedy. Eimear herself was badly injured in a car crash in 2005 which claimed the life of her team-mate and close friend Kellie McKenna and she admitted memories of former loved ones added to the poignancy of their All-Ireland triumph.

“ After what happened you just appreciate everything in life a bit more. You have it in the back of your mind and you count yourself so grateful. When we came back up the road that night of the All-Ireland we brought the cups to the graves of Kellie and Imelda (Treacy, another ex-team-mate who died in America). They’ll always be with us.”

Sourced: ulsterherald.com