Katie McCabe named Sportswoman of the Month for May
It's a whole seven and half years since Katie McCabe won her first Irish Times/Sport Ireland monthly award, which came at the end of an eventful year on and off the pitch for both her and her Republic of Ireland team-mates.
In April 2017, there was the very public stance the players took against the FAI, McCabe among those who turned up at Liberty Hall to air their grievances. In August, she was named the youngest ever captain of the national team, with Colin Bell choosing the then 21-year-old to succeed the retired Emma Byrne.
Between September and November of that year, she captained the side to an impressive start to their World Cup qualifying campaign, with wins away to Northern Ireland and Slovakia followed by a scoreless draw away to then reigning European champions the Netherlands.
READ MORE
But perhaps the most significant happening for McCabe in 2017 was
her six month loan spell at Glasgow City
, her playing opportunities since joining Arsenal two years before having been severely limited. While in Scotland, she helped City win their 11th successive league title and then returned to Arsenal with just a fortnight left on her contract with the London club.
By then, Joe Montemurro, who was appointed head coach of the Australian women's side last week, had taken over as Arsenal manager. He liked what he saw from the young Dubliner in training, extended her contract and, well, the rest is one heck of a story.
When she headed to Lisbon last month with Arsenal to take on Barcelona, a Champions League medal was just about the only honour missing from McCabe's club collection.
Only three other Irish women –
Emma Byrne, Ciara Grant and Yvonne Tracy
– had won Europe's premier club competition, but that was a whole 18 years before when they were part of Arsenal's quadruple-winning side. No English club had won it before or since, and coming up against one of the finest teams in the history of the women's game, the odds weren't exactly on Arsenal's side.
Katie McCabe winning the ball from Barcelona's Caroline Graham Hansen in last month's Champions League final. Photograph:Barcelona had scored 26 goals in their six group games – 10 against Wolfsburg over two legs in the quarter-finals – and beat Chelsea, the six-in-a-row WSL winners, 8-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals.
And, somehow, Arsenal managed to keep them scoreless in Lisbon – McCabe giving their brilliant winger Caroline Graham Hansen no room to breathe, her marking job playing a sizeable part in that clean sheet.
Add in
a 74th minute goal from Stina Blackstenius
and Arsenal were, once again, European champions. And McCabe had added her name to that Irish roll of honour, having also shone against Bayern Munich and Lyons in the quarter and semi-finals.
Little wonder that Republic of Ireland manager
Carla Ward has excused her captain from the trip to the United States
later this month for the friendlies in Denver and Cincinnati, having suggested that she is 'on the verge of burnout'.
As Uefa's stattos revealed, McCabe started all 15 of Arsenal's Champions League games, including in the qualifying phase, meaning she played more minutes – 1,296 to be exact – than any player in the history of the competition.
Add in her appearing in all but two of Arsenal's WSL games, suspension ruling her out of both, as well as four cup games. Good and all as her engine is, it was time for a break. Form-wise, she hasn't had her best year for Ireland, so Ward needs the only Irish woman to ever be nominated for the Ballon d'Or, and
our 2023 sportswoman of the year
, to be in prime condition for October's Nations League play-off against Belgium.
[
Aoife Wafer named Sportswoman of the Month for April
Opens in new window
]
Back in 2017, McCabe followed Katie Taylor on our monthly roll of honour. It says something of her career achievements since then that she might well have drawn level since on the name recognition front.
Previous monthly winners – December:
Ellen Walshe (swimming);
January
: Hazel Finn (basketball);
February
: Lara Gillespie (cycling);
March
: Kate O'Connor and Sarah Healy (athletics);
April
: Aoife Wafer (rugby)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
24 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Michael Barrett: 'We're learning over the years. We're getting a bit wiser'
Cork SAHC Group 3 round 2: Blarney 3-24 Watergrasshill 0-12 Blarney have learned the lessons of previous campaigns to build a score-difference cushion while the going is good. Having entered this Cork SAHC encounter at risk of elimination, they left it with a 21-point boost after a dominant second-half showing against the wind at Grenagh. Approaching half-time, they were anything but safe. They led Watergrasshill by two, having played with a strong diagonal breeze, but finished with a 1-2 burst. The conditions brought no benefit to the Hill after the break. Blarney broke down their long puck-outs and held them scoreless from play for the entire half. Mark Coleman was everywhere, accumulating 0-9 (three from play), while Cathal McCarthy poached 2-3. The second half finished 2-11 to 0-3 in their favour. 'We're learning over the years. We're getting a bit wiser,' said Blarney boss Michael Barrett. 'It's very easy to sit back and do a bit of showboating, but we realise that when you have a chance (to build score difference), our attitude is drive on.' A win against Courcey Rovers would guarantee Blarney's progress. Having seen their 10-game winning streak snapped, the Hill require an upset against Bride Rovers. Both teams were missing big talents in Dáire O'Leary and Pádraig Power, but in Cian Barrett and Conor Power, Blarney had a couple more players coming right after their first-round loss. On the other side, Kevin O'Neill manfully kept tabs on Shane Barrett, but was visibly hampered from midway through the first half, while Seán Desmond took a heavy blow later on. 'The more games we can get into these fellas, the better. That's the bottom line,' Barrett added. 'They have a three-week break now. That's going to bring them on more. 'The first game out is always a dodgy one. That's the one you want to win. But if it doesn't happen, like two years ago, we lost our first game to Newcestown and ended up in the county final. We gained momentum. 'It's all about getting the result, and we got one here this evening.' Adam Murphy put in a major shift in the first half for the All-Ireland intermediate champions. He got off 11 shots into the tricky wind, converting eight, with five from play. However, he lacked support. Desmond's point was their only other from play. Amid a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning in the distance, Blarney slowly established an upper hand in the opening quarter to construct a five-point gap. Coleman had an early pair from play, while influential wing-backs Alan McEvoy and Conor Power came forward to score. Murphy reeled off four quickfire points, including a fabulous score from the sideline where he juggled the sliotar back over his head to escape a tackle. Leading 0-11 to 0-9, Blarney brought Shane Barrett out to centre-forward. He flashed over a low-trajectory point before Eoghan Kirby's second. Then, in the second added minute, Denis McSweeney swooped upon a dropped puck-out and fed McCarthy, who handpassed to Cian Barrett for the tap-in finish. 1-13 to 0-9 at half-time. A Murphy free from the throw-in opened the second-half scoring, but his side wouldn't raise another flag until the 50th minute. They withdrew the full-forward line to target the space behind with long puck-outs. It worked to good effect against Courceys, but Stephen Mullane and Patrick Crowley kept bringing the ball to ground and gobbling up the supply. Blarney reeled off 1-5 without reply, including a crisply-struck Coleman brace from distance. Substitute Jerry Murphy made a swift impact, laying on McCarthy's first goal, finished with a deft sidestep, and tapping over two points. The Hill had converted just one of seven shots in the half until goalkeeper Aidan Foley landed a long-range free. But Blarney hit another 1-5 without reply, crowned by McCarthy's goal in the first added minute. Coleman even went for goal from a late 21-yard free. Foley saved, but the countyman slotted the 65. The 2023 and '24 runners-up are back up and running. Scorers for Blarney: C McCarthy (2-3); M Coleman (0-9, 4 frees, 2 65s); C Barrett (1-0); D McSweeney, S Barrett (2 frees) (0-3 each); E Kirby, J Murphy (0-2 each); A McEvoy, C Power (0-1 each). Scorers for Watergrasshill: A Murphy (0-9, 4 frees); A Foley (free), S O'Regan (65), S Desmond (0-1 each). BLARNEY: P Hallissey; S Mullane, S Crowley, D Murphy; C Power, P Crowley, A McEvoy; O Hegarty, M Coleman; S Mulcahy, D McSweeney, E Kirby; C McCarthy, S Barrett, C Barrett. Subs: J Murphy for Kirby (43), C Hegarty for C Barrett (52), D Hanlon for Mullane (53), W Crowley for McSweeney (55). WATERGRASSHILL: A Foley; D Roche, K O'Neill, D McCarthy; J Gowen, I O'Callaghan, S O'Regan; C O'Leary, A Spriggs; P Cronin, B Lehane, L Foley; A Murphy, S Desmond (capt), P O'Leary. Subs: A Cronin for L Foley (h-t), C Healy for Gowen, C Cronin for P Cronin, R Loftus for P O'Leary (all 43), L Foley for O'Neill (60, inj). Referee: I McCarthy (Bandon).
Irish Daily Mirror
24 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Roy Keane has pointed Mikel Arteta question despite Arsenal win over Man Utd
Former Manchester United skipper Roy Keane has questioned Arsenal's mentality after they settled for a slender 1-0 triumph at Old Trafford. Riccardo Calafiori's strike proved sufficient for the Gunners on this occasion, though such narrow margins may not always deliver the goods. The previous campaign saw Mikel Arteta's men pay a hefty price for surrendering advantageous positions. Arsenal held the lead in seven of their final eight fixtures yet managed just three victories, squandering commanding positions against Everton, Brentford, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth. "You wonder why Arsenal are still coming up short - it's because they are still happy to sit back at 1-0," Keane remarked on Sky Sports, reports the Mirror. "And then you think, is that the reason you drew so many games last year?". "You compare that to Man City and Liverpool. They are always looking to go on and get the second or the third. Even on a bad day they can score two or three goals." Both Liverpool and City netted four times during the season's opening weekend, though the defending champions were hauled back from 2-0 to 2-2 before eventually overcoming Bournemouth. Keane's observation regarding draws references Arsenal's tally of 14 stalemates in the league, leaving them 10 points adrift of Liverpool despite suffering an identical number of defeats. Fellow pundit Micah Richards praised Arsenal's defensive resilience. Nevertheless, he seemed to suggest that a more adventurous attacking approach might eliminate the necessity for such rearguard actions. "It's how much you can dig deep," Richards said. "What has helped Arsenal stay in title races in recent years is that when they get into that low block, they are very difficult to break down. Then you add in the set-pieces and they are a good team. I would just like to see them be a little more brave." Arsenal manager Arteta harboured no illusions about the standard of his side's performance but remained pleased with the outcome. "We came here away and won which is a big result," the Spaniard said. "We were clearly not at our best. We attacked the box and we reacted well to unusual mistakes. The team reacted time after time in an incredible way. Very proud of that because that is why we got the opportunity to win the game. "We showed a resilience and a will to win. They put you on the ropes here, you will have to have moments when you suffer. To find a way to win at this ground, I'm very happy with the team."
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Ruben Amorim defends Altay Bayindir after costly blunder in defeat to Arsenal
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim defended goalkeeper Altay Bayindir after his blunder proved decisive in a 1-0 home defeat by Arsenal in their Premier League opener. Bayindir flapped at a 13th-minute corner under pressure from William Saliba, allowing Riccardo Calafiori to nod in at the far post. United were otherwise the better team as new signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo revitalised their attack, but they could not find a way to beat David Raya despite registering 22 shots on goal. That put the focus even more sharply on Bayindir, who started in place of the injured Andre Onana. "You're allowed to do a lot of things in the corner, we need to do the same," Amorim said when asked if he was disappointed with the goal. "When you touch that way the goalkeeper he needs to use his hands to catch the ball, not push players, or he chooses to push players and let the ball past. "It is the rules, it is allowed and we need to do the same thing. No, (I'm not saying he should have acted differently) I am saying you choose to push a player or to get the ball, he chose to get the ball but he didn't push so he cannot defend it. "That is my feeling when I see the play but again, we need to do the same thing." Last season Bayindir conceded directly from a Son Heung-min corner in a 4-3 Carabao Cup defeat at Tottenham, but Amorim rejected criticism of the Turkey international when asked if he had considered starting third-choice Tom Heaton against a team renowned for their threat from corners. "He suffered a goal like this where? Against Tottenham? It was without VAR. With VAR it was a foul," Amorim said. "Then in the next game against Arsenal, who saved the penalty? Who saved the game? You don't remember the game but I remember the game and Altay was unbelievable in that game. I considered everything to put in one or another and I chose Altay… "I am happy with the three goalkeepers." Despite looking much the sharper of the two teams, United could not recover from that early setback as David Raya repelled the best that Cunha and Mbeumo could throw at him, while Patrick Dorgu hit the outside of a post. "We were the better team but in the end we lost the game," Amorim said. "I'm really proud of the work we put on the field and that is important moving forward." Arsenal took the points but in a poor performance littered with poor passes and sloppy touches, the only other things to take away was their ability to win on a bad day at the office. "We did very well to take the set-piece and then there's the mistakes, some of them unnecessary, some of them unusual, but the way every single player reacted gave us an opportunity to win the game," Mikel Arteta said. "That gives you momentum and confidence, two very important things. Our standards weren't there to be fair, but we can still come away and find a way to win the game. The team has to find that resilience throughout the season for 10 months."
