Dual star Aishling Moloney hopes to scale the heights with Tipperary this season

All Star ladies footballer Aishling Moloney is raring to go as Tipperary count down the days to their first outing in division one of the Lidl national ladies football league on Friday week, May 21 (7.30pm) against Cork, a game that will be televised live on TG4.
Speaking this week, the Cahir player has returned to training in the last six weeks or so after suffering a grade two ligament tear in Tipperary’s final game of the championship last November, when they were defeated by Monaghan.
“The lockdown probably came at the right time for me,” says Aishling.
“It gave me that extra chance to get my body right. Last year, when I think back on it, we actually only got a break of three months, whereas this year we got five months off and we probably needed it.
“I got time to spend with my family at Christmas.
“I got to climb mountains in Tipperary that I am not sure I even knew existed previously.
“Having that time off has brought back the enthusiasm and I am looking forward to getting going again.”
Tipperary are preparing for the new season with a new manager, with Tipperary All-Ireland winning hurling captain Declan Carr having replaced Shane Ronayne.
“It is an exciting time for us, especially now that Declan Carr has come on board,” says Aishling.
“I have known Shane Ronayne since I was in secondary school and he brought us a long way.
“It is mad to think that three or four years ago we were struggling to get out of division 3 and now in the next couple of weeks we will be playing against probably the best two teams in the country.
“We can only be excited looking forward to it.”
She said that Declan had brought a positive bounce to the team but the acid test would be when the competition begins.
Asked about the focus that Tipperary sports women have enjoyed over the last few weeks, Aishling said that it had brought a real feelgood factor to them all and that the coverage of women in sport had picked up over the last number of years.
Commenting on the recent achievements of Rachael Blackmore, Orla O’Dwyer and Dorthy Wall, she said it had put women’s sport to the fore.
“When you are from Tipp you want to see Tipperary people doing well and to see the success of Rachael Blackmore, our own Orla O’Dwyer in Australia and Dorothy Wall in Irish rugby it has lifted us all.
“I grew up in an era when there were very few female sporting role models and it is great to see.
“I am delighted for Orla because it is the stuff of dreams.”
She said that there had been a growth in interest in women’s sport and that ladies football had grabbed the nation’s attention, particularly last year.
She said that this was due to both TG4 and Lidl’s investment in the sport over the last number of years and the fact that TG4 had broadcast the championship games live.
Asked about whether she was going to continue playing both ladies football and camoige for Tipperary this season, Aishling said that it was her plan to do so and she felt it benefitted her game to have the variety.

For more sport see Munster senior hurling and football championship fixtures confirmed