Captain Aisling Cosgrove a key element in the Longford Slashers side

With the Leinster title also accomplished, Aisling now has the opportunity to lead her side out in Croke Park for the All-Ireland Club Intermediate final against Mullinahone (Tipperary) on Saturday.  

The Killashee woman has been playing for Slashers since she was 12. Safe to say, she has never seen a year like this.

A hard running midfielder/attacker she is liable to pop up anywhere and this versatility has been key for Slashers.

“A lot of the girls are very versatile, with no exact roles. Everyone is comfortable on the ball. There is no dilly dallying with the ball, we move it quickly,” she explained.

That is refreshing, considering how the men’s game has been increasingly weighed down with defensive puzzles.

The oldest member of the team at 27 years of age, she spends her weeks in University of Limerick, where she is studying for a Masters in PE teaching.

However, she travels to training in Longford three times a week.

“Clare Farrell and myself are based in Limerick, and there are four or five girls based in Dublin,” she explained.

She is captain but when she looks around the team, she sees a lot of leaders.

“We have great leaders, with the likes of the O’Brien’s, Clare (Farrell) and Jessica (Barry). I am not a great talker, I prefer to lead by example,” she stated.

When Slashers got out of Longford, Aisling and her team-mates felt the shackles go off.

“In Leinster, you don’t know teams and anything can happen,” she commented.

The Longford final proved to be a big test for Slashers, as they had just a point to spare over Clonguish.

“We easily could have lost that game. But we have learned how to win while not playing well,” she remarked.

With the exception of Clare Farrell and herself, the team is backboned by an exceptional younger group, who won six minor titles in a row.

“Those girls have been together a long time and they achieved a lot of minor success, players such as Grace Kenny, Orla Nevin and Grace Shannon,” she stated.

When asked to sum up Conor Clarke’s management style, she refers to how he takes player views on board.

“He is inclusive in how he takes our view on board,” she explained.

If you are in Croke Park on Saturday next, you better not take your eyes off the pitch, or you may miss Cosgrove on one of her powerful runs.