Star Tipperary footballer Aishling Moloney is hoping to return from injury in the near future

Tipperary’s ladies footballers can take inspiration from their counterparts in Meath.
That’s the view of Aishling Moloney who, even at the relatively young age of 24, has not only been one of the Premier County team’s best players for the past number of years but also one of the finest talents in the game.
An All-Ireland intermediate winner with the county in 2017 and 2019, Aishling was on the team that beat Meath by five points in the All-Ireland final three years ago.
Such were the huge strides taken by Meath in the following years that they were back at Croke Park 12 months later to defeat Westmeath in the All-Ireland intermediate final before, incredibly, returning to Croke Park last year for the All-Ireland senior final, to score a famous triumph over Dublin.
She may play for a rival county, but the Royal County’s stunning transformation in such a short space of time has made Aishling proud.
“Coming up from intermediate, we know what it’s like going senior and the difference in the standard and the physicality,” she says.
“It’s just crazy to see what they (Meath) have done in a year, and back home in Tipp it gives us a bit of inspiration.”
The Cahir woman, who has also played camogie for her club and county, is still sidelined after rupturing her cruciate ligament playing against Dublin in the championship last June. She underwent surgery six weeks later but further complications with the knee injury meant that was only able to start her rehab all over again in January.
“I’m hoping to be back sometime soon, hopefully in the near future,” she says.
“Things didn’t go according to plan in the way we would have liked, but you can’t take ACLs and injuries like that as if they’re going to be plain sailing, so you have to row with the boat you’re going with.”
There’s no estimate for when Aishling will return to action.
“I don’t think forward to next month or three months’ time, I’m just taking it a week at a time.
“I did a gym session last week and I’m feeling a bit tender after that, so it’s just small wins for me. Down the line the thing for me right now is getting my strength up and (preparing for) my next testing.
“Once I pass that test I can look forward to possibly getting back and getting around to playing again.”
Tipperary’s ladies footballers may be plying their trade in the second tier of the Lidl National League, following last season’s relegation, but Aishling Moloney is hopeful for the county’s future.
“We’re probably going through a bit of a transition at the minute. We’ve a lot of younger players in and some players have left, but credit where credit’s due, I hope that they can go on and do the best they can again this year,” says Aishling, who is the ladies’ development manager for Gaelic Armour, a Nenagh-based GAA-licensed sportswear brand.

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