Kelly: We’re Building On Something Brilliant In ‘Belvo

Amid the flurry of activity, a figure moves with quiet confidence, shifting seamlessly from one role to another, reading the game as if she were part of its very pulse. It is Emma Kelly, and on days like this, it becomes clear why she has become one of Old Belvedere’s most indispensable players.

From the first whistle, Kelly’s presence is felt, whether she is orchestrating play in the backs, anchoring a defensive line at flanker, or stepping into a role the team needs her to fill.

She is the kind of player who makes difficult positions look instinctive, whose adaptability has become a weapon in a fiercely competitive Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Division.

Kelly began her rugby life locally with Tullamore RFC, where the familiar surroundings of her home club provided a nurturing environment. “It was a big decision for me to leave Tullamore. I found it very tough and isolating at the start,” she admits.

“They’re a brilliant club and a fantastic support system and they’ve produced some exceptional players like Aoife Dalton, Leah Tarpey, Ailsa Hughes. They’re all ex-Tullamore.

“But I really back my decision, I’ve loved my years in ‘Belvo. I found it tough at the start. I was involved with the Leinster set-up as a kind of development player also when I made that transition to Belvedere, so it all kind of happened at once for me.

“I had to get used to AIL rugby, and I also had to get used to the Leinster set-up and then trying to balance that with playing my college rugby in UCD. It was very, very tough at the start.

“I found the training load hard to get used to and also just the demands of elite sport. I suppose when I was in Tullamore you went from being a big fish in a small pond and then you come up here and you’re just a fish in the ocean. But I learned a lot.

“I’m very grateful for team-mates that took me under their wing very, very early on. UCD have a big part to play in that. They’re kind of the team that backed me to go play AIL. I never had really considered it.

“Getting that exposure playing with some of the girls who played AIL in UCD, they just fully backed me and I just decided to bite the bullet and I have absolutely no regrets.”

The decision to step out of that familiar environment and into the wider world of Dublin rugby was a pivotal one. It was at UCD that Kelly began to understand the demands of Women’s club rugby at a higher level, before her move to Old Belvedere revealed her versatility as a player.

Arriving at ‘Belvo, the Rosemount native initially played in the backs as a out-half or centre. However, the next few seasons would see her evolve into one of the most adaptable players in the division, earning a Leinster debut at blindside flanker and contributing in almost every position across the pitch.

“It’s been a mental couple of months. If you told me that the last year would have happened the way it did two seasons ago, I wouldn’t have believed you at all. The transition to ‘Belvo and with Leinster, it was a funny one.

“I joined ‘Belvo originally as an out-half/centre and then I suppose as people are aware, I made my debut for Leinster at number six at blindside flank, so there was a lot of transition going on there.

“It hasn’t been a straight line over the past two seasons. I have AIL minutes in every single position apart from hooker, tighthead prop, and both second rows! So I am well used to versatility at this stage.

“Probably the toughest transition I had to deal with was moving from the backs into the forwards with the Leinster set-up, because obviously it’s hard enough to do it at an AIL level, nevermind to do it at with your province.”

She continued: “I’m lucky my coaches fully backed me with that decision. Tania (Rosser) fully backed me going into my first season as a flanker after spending three years with Leinster as a development player in the backs.

“It was tough, kind of imposter syndrome sets in very early thinking that you’re not good enough to play in the back row, but like you’re also not good enough in the centre and it does fry your brain.

“But I’ve played with some of the best players, some of the best players to ever do it, both in Belvedere and with Leinster. So, I’m very lucky that they coached me up all the way along.”

This adaptability has made Kelly a vital cog in the current Old Belvedere squad, particularly in a season defined by uncertainty, disruption, and the shifting landscape of the Women’s game.

With players moving between the Celtic Challenge and their club commitments, injuries have become their own subplot, and squad selections vary weekly, requiring a high level of mental resilience.

“There’s a serious amount of uncertainty every week of who you have, who you won’t have. With the Celtic Challenge, who’s getting released, who’s not, who other teams are going to have, all the selection process. But yeah, no, we’re definitely building on something brilliant in ‘Belvo.

We had an outstanding start to the season. The win against Railway away in the first round was huge. I just think in ‘Belvo over the last few years, that’s been our big game. We’ve always kind of struggled to perform against Railway in Railway.

“They’re an exceptional side, so we started off really, really strong. A few bumps, hasn’t been linear at all by any stretch of the imagination, but it very rarely is for any team.

“So definitely, I don’t think it’ll affect us going into the rest of the season. We just have to learn to push on from here. And while losing to Galwegians in the last round was a bump in the road, we can’t let it define the season.”

The challenges have come thick and fast. After a strong start, a landmark win against Railway Union away in the first round, a fixture that has historically been difficult for Belvedere, the team suffered setbacks against defending champions UL Bohemian and Blackrock College.

While they picked up momentum again, it ground to a halt with a 15-10 loss to ‘Wegians two weeks ago. It was a result that not only highlighted the intensity of the division but also had immediate consequences for the league table.

The Dubliners were leapfrogged by Railway, moving down to fourth in the table, and the gap has closed slightly between them and the chasing pack. It was a disappointing result from their perspective.

“Over the past few seasons, we’ve had fierce battles with Galwegians,” Kelly acknowledged. “While they haven’t kind of been in the top four, you definitely regard them as a top four quality side. Very disappointed. Didn’t really perform to the best of our abilities ourselves.

“All credit to Galwegians, they capitalised on every single mistake we made and they absolutely deserved to win. But yeah, definitely looking to dust ourselves off this week.

“Obviously conditions are playing absolute havoc trying to sort pitches, but hopefully it’ll help us prepare to go down to Cork (to play Ballincollig at Virgin Media Park tomorrow) and hopefully get back to winning ways.”

The defeat to the Blue Belles, on Energia Park’s back pitch, also served as a moment for reflection and analysis, something Kelly and her team-mates approached both individually and collectively.

“We’ve done our analysis ourselves. We look to do a bit more this week now on the Galwegians game heading into Ballincollig. Just definitely a massive emphasis on that we do have the talent, we do have the ability, we just have to bring it out onto the pitch and just perform.

“I suppose one thing that I would have said about that Galwegians game is we didn’t do ourselves any justice at all. The mistakes that we kind of made don’t reflect who we are as a team and what we can do.

“So, just hopefully this week we don’t focus on it too much. Just kind of focus on ourselves and what we can do, not what we did in that Galwegians game.”

Old Belvedere’s new head coach Fiona Hayes has played a central role in guiding the team through these challenges, and Kelly speaks highly of her influence both tactically and culturally, while also giving credit to Rosser who held the role before Hayes swapped Limerick for the capital.

“A lot of credit goes to Tania for what she’s built over the last couple of years. She really has built a good, strong foundation. She was also an exceptional coach, and Fi is very similar in terms of her knowledge.

“She’s very knowledgeable of the game and she knows how to win, she’s done it a number of times. So that’s just something that I really was very grateful for her bringing into ‘Belvo this year, is that she knows how to win.

“She knows how to get it out of players, but also she’s just so honest. Like she’s just black and white. There’s no pussyfooting around things that she’s either on or off. And she gives everybody a chance.

“If you’re performing at training, you’ll get your chance. If you perform on match day, you’ll get your chance. You know, there’s no such thing as like big names, people who’ve been here for years.”

She added: “She has an absolute wealth of knowledge. She gives you these little nuggets of information that you never would have thought of yourself, but they’ve been brilliant. They’ve transformed our game a lot.

“Definitely in terms of the aggression that she wants us to play with. It’s something that we’re still finding our feet a little bit (with), but she really does demand that of us, that aggression, that like just pure pride in the jersey.

“She has a serious amount of pride for us every single time she puts us out onto the pitch and she fully backs us. She’s a wealth of knowledge and we were very lucky to have her on board this year.”

Even the lighter moments have arrived with Hayes, such as managing her dog ‘Dotie’ during training and matchdays which highlights the group’s culture and personality.

“We babysit her on the sidelines sometimes, her ‘child’ as she calls her! She hasn’t been running around after us at training, she’s been picking up a few cones and ruining a few of Fi’s drills, but that’s about the height of it so far.

“Fi is well able to kind of go after us herself. Don’t think she needs the dog to kind of give us a kick up the behind.”

While Hayes’ charges have a decent grip on a play-off position at present, holding a 13-point lead over Galwegians in fifth, they cannot afford another slip up or two which would open the door again for the chasing ‘Wegians and Wicklow.

Their impending trip to Leeside is more than just another game, it is a test of character, skill, and team cohesion, and Kelly, in whatever position she takes to the field in, will be at the heart of it.

With a lot at stake and six rounds of the regular season remaining, everyone involved with Old Belvedere will be hoping a result can follow them back to the capital this weekend, as they are not just aiming for a fourth place finish.

“When I joined the AIL, there was a very clearcut top four, nearly a guarantee who was going to make the semis. But the likes of Galwegians, Wicklow, and Ennis are really pushing on. The gap is closing, and it is brilliant for the Women’s game.

“While we are delighted to be in the top four, disappointed to be pushed out of third, any more slip-ups will cost us a semi-final, and we need every single point on the board going forward.

“Belvedere have historically come fourth and I suppose we don’t want to be that team who comes fourth all the time and scrapes the semi-final. We were third, we had a taste of being there in the top three.

“I don’t see any reason why we can’t push into the top three, into the top two or top the table. I think it’s a little bit of a belief that we still have to instil in ourselves as a squad.

“The only way we can do that is a big performance against Ballincollig and kick on. We also should realise that we are good enough that we can chase third. It’s striking that balance of realising where we are, realising who’s behind us, but also realising where we could go,” she concluded.

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