23-04-2025
Rachel Graham: Ireland recall on cards if Ellen Molloy keeps up form
Rachel Graham is hopeful that Ellen Molloy will be back wearing a Republic of Ireland jersey again before long after offering a reminder of her gifts as a player on Saturday.
The 20-year-old was instrumental for Wexford in their 3-2 victory at Shamrock Rovers in the SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division, cancelling out Áine O'Gorman's opener with a superb long-range strike and then earning and converting the penalty that proved enough to seal all three points.
The brace brought Molloy up to three goals for the season, having returned to Wexford ahead of the 2025 campaign after a brief spell in England with Sheffield United.
The next aim will be trying to break back into Carla Ward's Ireland squad. Molloy had been included in a development squad in February and earned the most recent of her caps last October towards the end of Eileen Gleeson's tenure after a two-year absence, which was prompted by a serious knee injury.
Now that Molloy is working her way back to form, Shelbourne and former Ireland midfielder Graham told the RTÉ Soccer Podcast that the Kilkenny-born midfielder has few peers when she is at her best.
"There's no question Ellen is one of the best players in the league, definitely, and one of the best players, for me, that we've produced as a country," Graham said on the back of a Saturday when she herself was involved as second-placed Shelbourne thrashed Cork City at Tolka Park - the second game in a row that Shels have plundered seven goals.
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"She's a really naturally talented player, she's so hard to defend against and that's from experience trying to mark her.
"She can run with the ball but she keeps the ball so close to her body. It's very hard to nick it off her and if you do step off her, she can shoot and score from distance.
"She's really, really hard to defend against. But I think she was back to her best on Saturday. It's definitely the best I've seen her in a long time.
"She's had a few struggles. She suffered an ACL injury and last year she went to Sheffield and look, it probably wasn't the right time for her or the right move - it's not to say she'll never go (abroad) again or it never will be right for her - but I think she just wanted to be back at home playing where she's really enjoying her football and that's starting to shine through now.
"I know she missed a lot of Wexford's pre-season, so it probably took her the extra couple of weeks to maybe get back to her best, but she caused Rovers an awful lot of trouble. "And then she goes and wins her team a peno and scores the peno then.
What a goal😮
Ellen Molloy equalises for Wexford with a magnificent strike.
— LOI Women (@LoiWomen) April 19, 2025
"She's probably someone that Carla is very aware of, or has been made aware of, and I think if she keeps performing like she is, if she keeps herself fit, she's definitely in with a chance of being one of those League of Ireland players that is getting a call-up."
Molloy's technical qualities could potentially give Ireland another creative midfield in the mold of Denise O'Sullivan.
"I definitely think she has the talent, there's no question about that," said Graham.
"These are the players we want to see playing for Ireland, are really naturally talented players that we produce here.
"Maybe it was a fitness issue, she'd been out injured and I don't know how much game-time she was getting with Sheffield, so probably a few things going against her but I think definitely this year, if she's performing how she did against Rovers, she's so hard to defend against.
"For our own Ireland team, sometimes that position is hard to play where it's someone who's creative in that midfield area, who can either get goals or set up goals.
"I think she's definitely someone we need to kind of almost protect to make sure we can get her to play at senior international level because these players are so hard to come by. You can't really coach the talent that she has so we need to make sure to make the most of her."
