‘We Want To Shake Up The Table’ – Douglas On Wicklow’s Top Four Ambitions

Wicklow have been quietly chipping away at the Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Division glass ceiling in recent seasons. Trying to break into the top four in which UL Bohemian, Railway Union, Blackrock College, and Old Belvedere have been unbudgeable.

That hunger for progress has been the driving force behind Wicklow’s development. From their early years trying to find their feet following promotion, the club has built a sustainable pathway that stretches from minis all the way to senior level.

And with that quiet belief spreading through the club, from the senior dressing room down to the youngest minis, there is a growing feeling that Wicklow’s time might just be coming sooner than later.

It is not just belief that has changed, the standard has too. Wicklow’s squad has grown deeper, competition for places is more intense.

New players have earned Energia All-Ireland League exposure, experienced hands have raised expectations, and that mix of youth and maturity has bred an inner competitiveness.

Now, three games into a new campaign and sitting with two wins from three, their co-captain Eimear Douglas says there is a new energy around Ashtown Lane, one built on the belief that this might be the year they break through.

“Top four, there’s such a big thing around that,” she told IrishRugby.ie. “For so long it’s been the same four teams in the top four.

“We want to shake up the table and that’s what we’ve been trying to do, and even like every year we’re edging closer to it. Wicklow has so much homegrown talent and we’re showing that to the rest of Ireland basically.

“I think it’s the first time in a while that other people are looking towards Wicklow now because we are competing and we’re close to being a top four team. There’s so much with that as well, there’s so many new players that would be coming into the squad as well.

“There’s so much experience and it’s nearly grown into a little bit of a competition within the team itself which is really good, but I think that competition allows us to drive our own standards and allows us to drive and aim for that top four.

Even looking at the underage structure, we’ve minis, we’ve Under-10s right the way up to U-18s, we have our J1 squad as well and we have the senior squad.

“There’s huge numbers there for growth and even like a lot of the times the girls will always go down to the underage teams on weekends to support, and even like to trainings because we want them to see that it’s a sport but it’s something you can do and enjoy and you can push on.

“I think a lot of the younger girls  are starting to see that, and it’s funny at times, as well we are role models for these girls and we don’t realise but they see us now and they see how well we’re able to do and I don’t think they fully grasp how big of a competition it is.

“But I think through the exposure and through everyone really working together within the Women’s section that it is becoming big and people want to stay at Wicklow.

“So much new talent coming into Wicklow and even like this year like we’ve already had so many AIL caps. There’s been so many new players in the squad which has allowed for that and it’s allowed for depth.”

Jason Moreton’s side have turned the lessons of past seasons into fuel. Last year they opened brightly, unbeaten after three games, before the challenges of the top four teams halted their early momentum.

Now, with that experience and learnings banked, Wicklow are back in the top four with two wins on the board, but more tests await around the corner.

Home victories over Cooke and newcomers Ennis have settled any early season nerves, but the loss to high-flying Galwegians in Glenina in round 2 was one that stung according to Douglas.

“The two wins were huge, I think the Galwegians game was nearly a bit of a wake-up call for us, I think. I think from talking to everyone, there was so much analysis done that day and what we could have done differently to put on a better performance.

“Bus journeys, maybe we haven’t fully woken up and then it’s into the second half and they’ve already scored their tries. I think on the day as well it was just a very strong Galwegians team and we unfortunately just didn’t show up that day.

“I feel like Wicklow and Galwegians, there’s such a rivalry between us because the first few years when we joined we were always nearly competing in the middle of the table for that fifth place spot.

“There’s just a deep rivalry between us. I don’t even know if they think it is but I feel like we do and then I suppose Ennis then as well, Ennis are a very strong team. We didn’t expect it and we obviously didn’t expect to be down (12-5) at half-time.

“On every team there’s always maybe a few players that you haven’t played against. Ennis were just completely unknown, so it’s like how do you prepare against that.

“The only thing we knew from watching their previous games was that they were going to be a very strong team to play against and they came out (all) guns blazing.

“I think it’ll be really good to play them down in Ennis then again after Christmas because I think it’ll be such a battle between us again. We pulled ourselves together, we were at home, we were in front of a home crowd, we had to pull it together.

“We were against a very strong wind in the first half as well, so it didn’t help us. It was very hard to run out of our own half at times, so we just wanted to make sure that we put in the performance that we knew that we were capable of.

“Put in a good win and build ourselves back up again. I’m especially looking forward now towards Old Belvedere this weekend,” she insisted.

Wicklow are entering a crucial four-match stretch, visiting Belvedere first up on Saturday (kick-off 5pm) for a game that will be shown live on irishrugby+. They then have clashes with Blackrock, Railway, and defending champions UL Bohs.

These are the fixtures that define their top-four ambitions, and the memories of last season’s performances can give them some encouragement. There was the day they ran perennial contenders Blackrock to within a converted try at home.

Or the game against UL where despite defeat, Moreton’s charges crossed the whitewash three times, the first time they had ever managed to do so against the Limerick giants.

The challenges ahead will demand every ounce of what they have built up to this point. As Douglas acknowledges, to get over the line against one of those top four regulars would be a huge moment for this group.

We’ve Blackrock at home and we have UL Bohs at home this side of Christmas. Even though we may not have won the game last year against Blackrock, that was such a huge mental challenge for us being like, ‘Hold on a second, we’re up here, (against) one of the best teams in the country and we’re competing’.

“I think it really gives us the confidence boost for that push and that drive to go forward. The same against Bohs with those three tries, it’s like though we’re not winning, we have those little goals and it’s nearly like those little confidence boosters and little markers for us.

“To get a win against one of those four sides would be massive because it allows us to really settle a bit and get points early for the rest of the season, and will allow everything else to kind of flow after that.”

Looking at this week’s trip to the capital, Old Belvedere, under new head coach Fiona Hayes, could be a bit of a wounded animal going into the fourth round off the back of consecutive defeats to Blackrock and Bohs.

Wicklow are not reading much into form, though. They are taking it as another match that presents a ‘physical and mental challenge’ against one of the All-Ireland League’s heavyweights.

In all of their previous meetings in this competition, Old Belvedere have taken the spoils, but Wicklow are determined to put in a performance to get that elusive result. They want to show they can go toe to toe with the more established teams in the league.

“We want to show it to them that we’re not just considered a bottom six team, we want to get that top four mentality out of everyone’s mind – it’s not just top four anymore, everyone else is hugely competitive.

“I feel like again it’s just shaking it up, growing from last season. We want to be able to fight for something, and I think going out now, it’s still early in the season, will allow us to fight for that top four place.

“I know that Old Belvedere had so much growth this year, especially with a new coach and everything with Fiona Hayes in there. They’re looking to improve themselves and I’d have friends who have played for ‘Belvo that I would have played with in college, and so I know that they’re trying to push on.”

Douglas added: “They’ve missed out on semi-finals and finals for the past while, so they’re trying to prove themselves and push into the finals. We’re trying to do the exact same which is push into the finals as well, so it’s pretty much the same goal that we both have.

“I think ‘Belvo for us, it’s the physical and mental challenge. I think we know we can always perform better and I think that’s something that we’re always looking to do.

“If we put in the performance that we know we capable of, that we didn’t put in against ‘Wegians, we can put it up to ‘Belvo. That’s nearly as good as a win for us as well, because it allows us to have that belief that we can do it to all the other teams as well in the competition.”

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