Brady: Our Culture Never Changes, That’s Pushing Each Other To Get Better

But the oval ball? That came later for the Cavan native, and unexpectedly. Coming from a sporting family, her brother had been playing for Virginia RFC, and while watching, the question of would you play for the girls team came up.

After being talked into going to a training session initially, that turned into a three-year stint. Virginia RFC, with its small-town roots and family spirit, was the foundation that shaped Brady’s love and understanding of the game.

Those years lit the spark that would carry her from Cavan to MU Barnhall and later to the elite ranks of Railway Union, one of the real powerhouses of the Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Division.

Along the way, she has proudly represented Ulster at age-grade and senior level, and been a Celtic Challenge winner with the Wolfhounds. But it was in Dublin, with Railway Union, that everything clicked.

“When I first came into the club, we would have had legends of the game, like Clíodhna Moloney, ‘Peats’ (Lindsay Peat), Katie O’Dwyer,” she told IrishRugby.ie.

“They’d probably kill me for saying this now because I’m making out that I’m a lot younger than they are, but growing up as a player, I would have watched all of these players (playing for Ireland) on the telly.

“So coming into a club that was so well established in Dublin with the players, with the coaches that they have as well, it’s Railway that got me to where I am now in terms of my game and my standards.”

That grounding. the sense of respect and learning remains central to how Brady approaches the game. She is now one of Railway’s senior figures in a squad going through change.

This season, more than any in recent memory, has been one of transition for Railway. After back-to-back Energia All-Ireland League final defeats to UL Bohemian and a challenging start to the current campaign, the Dubliners have had to adapt quickly.

“I think everyone could say we probably look a little bit different this year as a team and a club,” she admitted. “Obviously, it wasn’t the start we wanted (with three early defeats).

“We would have liked to cement ourselves with a few wins in those top-four games, but there’s been a lot of turnover.

“We’ve lost some very senior players and we’ve had new girls come in, some playing senior rugby for the first time, never mind AIL for the first time. So it’s a huge change of guard across the board.”

The losses to Old Belvedere, UL Bohs, and Blackrock College, in the opening rounds, could easily have dented confidence. But inside the club, something else took hold – perspective.

“We’re in a huge period of growth. We’re trying to kind of blood new players and new caps. Then equally, we’ve a new head coach (Sana Govender) in this year too, so I think we’re kind of in that growth period and learning every week.

“And you know, as you learn from your mistakes, we’re learning from the losses that we had early on. We learn more from our losses than our wins.

“Thankfully, as the weeks have gone by, we’ve been able to get more points on the board and then get the (couple of) wins under our belt as well.

“But I think we’re just on a journey this year, and as every week goes by, we’re improving and trying to get better.

“Hopefully it will last now as we move towards Christmas, and then after Christmas for the kind of business side of the season as well.”

That idea of ‘journey’ crops up often in Brady’s words. It is a theme that runs through the club’s season, but also through her own story, the long process of becoming a player who others look to.

Ever-present in the second row across the opening five rounds, alongside either former Ireland international Aoife McDermott or Grace Jackson, she does not talk about leadership as a title or role, it is more about what you do.

“I’ve been in Railway about eight years now. I would have come in as an 18-year-old player, never played AIL before, coming in from the countryside at home in Cavan. So it was a new world for me.

“I’ve really climbed the ladder from going through the exact same journey that we’re seeing the younger girls go through at the moment, which is going from benching to starting, going the whole way up the ladder.

“Thankfully, because I’ve gone through it, I can kind of understand how they’re feeling or what they might be thinking in terms of where they’re standing and where they’re growing within the team.

“From my side of things, I’m just very happy to be able to lend support or lend a helping hand or ear when I can. My journey probably looks very similar to a lot of the younger girls.

“Thankfully we’ve got a huge support within the club with the players, the coaches, everything. There’s never any issue with anyone needing a helping hand or even kind of guidance within the team.

“So I’m just thankful that I started out where they are. I can understand exactly what they’re going through. So hopefully they can see that we’re here to guide them through and kind of bring them up alongside with us.”

That cycle of guidance from the legends she once looked up to, to the new generation she now helps to mentor, speaks to the enduring culture within Railway Union. Even as faces change and line-ups evolve, the heartbeat of the Sandymount-based club remains steady.

Brady, who works as a media planner with dunnhumby Ireland, continued: “I think every club kind of goes through this at some stage or the other, and it’s our turn now at the moment.

“It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for anyone in this league. The time has come for us to kind of go through that period where we’re getting new players, getting new coaches, people are kind of hanging up the boots as well in terms of those senior people who’ve been around.

“There’s still a great culture within Railway, and we’re constantly supporting each other and pushing each other to get better. That hasn’t changed with the change that’s happened with players and coaches.

“Our culture never changes and that’s pushing each other to get better and then wanting to get better as a team. So, as long as all of that comes together, I’d like to think that after Christmas, we’ll get climbing up that ladder and that’ll be the goal now for that side of the season.”

It is this sense of continuity that has allowed Govender’s side to weather the early setbacks and start finding momentum. After a difficult opening block, Railway responded with bonus point victories over Tullow (99-7) and Ballincollig (31-19).

Those results gave stability and reminded the league that Railway remain a force even amid transition. The performances may still be evolving, but the direction is clear.

While the reversals during those early weeks read a different narrative, Brady says that the mood in the camp has been great as the players are continuing to improve week on week.

“Regardless of how the matches and the results have gone, the girls and obviously the coaches, everyone has really rallied together. We kind of measure our success on if the team’s getting better and are we getting better as players?

“So, even though we might have started off not on the right foot with the first couple of matches, every week we’ve been gelling more together, becoming more cohesive and off the back of getting better, that obviously brings everyone forward as well.

“A huge piece of it has been getting our confidence with new players and then, obviously, with positional changes and people coming in and out, it’s kind of like trying to play with a new team as well and play with new people in different positions.

“Obviously it’s not the start we would have wanted, they’re not the results that we would have wanted in those games. They’re the games that you want to be winning, definitely on a pride piece and moving up on the table there.

“But from our side, as long as the team’s getting better, as long as the players are getting better, that’s what success looks like for us and hopefully that will continue on that upward trajectory.

“We all know that we’re on this journey for some of the senior girls who’ve been there a little bit longer. It’s probably a place that we haven’t been in before, so it’s a new area for us as well.

“Then obviously for new girls coming in too, it’s a huge experience getting to play these matches and then obviously grow with who’s around them too.

“We’re working very close together with the coaches. We’ve a great group behind us, a great coaching staff behind us, we’re learning, growing together, and the journey just looks a little bit different this year.”

Brady’s perspective – calm, pragmatic, but optimistic – mirrors what defines the best leaders in any team, the ability to see past the immediate results and focus on the process. Inside the Railway dressing room, that mix of old and new is tangible.

The two-time Energia All-Ireland League champions have brought in some exciting young additions to the team, and it is that culture of mentorship and mutual growth that is, in many ways, what keeps Railway at the heart of Irish Women’s club rugby.

“We have so many new girls that have come in this year and some are starting in positions that they’ve never played, never mind at AIL level, but never even probably at senior rugby before.

“Thankfully, we’ve got such stalwarts within the club that there’s a lot of people there for them to rely on. Even looking at our starting team the last couple of weeks, we have Niamh Byrne, our captain, Niamh’s been around the club for years.

“Outside her (in the centre) recently, we’ve had Heidi Lyons (pictured above), who has just come into the club. It’s her first year at AIL. She was involved with Leinster in the summer, but coming up from underage rugby as well.

“That’s a huge change where you have our captain, who’s been around the club for years, and then equally someone brand new who is just coming up in the same position.

“So, having them working together, working with each other in training and also in matches, is a huge support for the younger girls coming up.

“Equally in our forwards, we’ve had some girls who probably have been on the outskirts of AIL teams and kind of working their way up from our J1s to bench to now starting.

“They’ve been putting in huge efforts and across the board, everyone’s really been stepping up to the mark. So I think that with the mixture of experience that we have, everyone’s been a huge support system for each other.

“Those people are there to bring each other on. We have Nikki Caughey, who’s been around the club for years, involved with Leinster, involved with Ireland.

“And then equally, we have Hannah Scanlan, who would have come into the team last year. She’s coming in at out-half at the moment too.

Regardless of who’s coming in, there’s so many people around the club with such experience, great people who are always trying to bring each other on.

“It really brings a great culture and a great atmosphere into the team because we all want each other to do well. We’re all growing together and learning off of each other.

“So it’s a really good place to be, it’s an exciting place to be. A new season, a different journey. It might look a little bit different at the moment, but inside the club, we’re really cherishing the moments that we’re having together.”

It is those unshakeable bonds, forged on cold training nights and in the reflective moments after both winning and losing performances, that now drive the team through this rebuilding phase.

After getting back on track in recent rounds, Railway sit just outside the top four. They host Wicklow at Park Avenue on Saturday evening (kick-off 5pm), determined to continue on that winning trail.

For Brady, what defines this season is not the scoreboard, but the sense of shared purpose. Maybe that is why, even in a season of transition, Railway Union still feel like Railway Union.

Because beneath the jerseys and the results lies something more durable. A belief in progress, in community, and in the quiet power of those who keep showing up.

“I just hope that as the new girls come into the team, that they’re feeling the same as I felt whenever I first came in,” she said.

“Coming into a team at that age, especially whether it’s from an underage squad or you’re coming from the countryside, you’re coming to Dublin for the first time, it can be daunting.

“Obviously in the first couple of matches coming up against some of the top-four teams in the country, it’s a very, very difficult place to be for a new player, especially if you haven’t played at this standard or level before.

“But it’s the people around you that bring you on, and in Railway, we’re blessed with the best, definitely. So, with the new girls coming in, obviously it’s a new challenge and with the change of guard with the coaching staff, it’s another variable adding into the season that we’re having.

“It all goes back to the journey and the bigger picture of the team getting better, the players getting better and then, you know, us growing together as a group.”

The 26-year-old from Bailieborough added: “Week to week, it’s looking different. We have some tough matches coming up in the next couple of weeks and equally Wicklow this weekend, we’re expecting it to be a good battle.

“Every week the focus is getting points on the board, you know, performing and improving the performance from the week before. We’re obviously seeing where we’re sitting in the table and wanting to dream of the bigger picture, but at the moment, the focus is week by week.

“How can we get better, how can we improve from last week, how can we get more points on the board…and then from there, we can have a look after Christmas at the bigger picture, which is climbing the ladder and hopefully getting into that top four.”

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