Three All-Star Nominations for Derry

Three of Derry's top players have received nominations for the 2007 Camogie All-Stars, which will be announced on Saturday 10th November at the All-Star Banquet in the City West Hotel Complex in Dublin. The players nominated are Slaughtneil's Claire Doherty in defence, Eoghan Rua's Gráinne McGoldrick in midfield and Bellaghy's Ashling Diamond in the forwards. It is the first time Claire and Ashling have received this recognition, while Gráinne was also nominated last year along with Katie McAuley. It is a richly deserved honour for the three, who have played central roles in Derry's success this year, and all three played central roles in Ulster's recent success at senior level in the Gael-Linn interprovincial competition.

Claire has been a stalwart for Derry for the last ten years, to the extent that the No. 6 jersey is now synonymous with her. She has led from the front in Derry's resurgence over the last two seasons, and her performances in crucial matches this year were instrumental in driving the team to their championship successes. Her positional play, committed attacking of the ball and intelligent distribution of ball from the back line are key features in Derry's play.

Since her arrival on the county scene in 2001, Gráinne has established herself as one of the top athletes and stylists in the game. Her languid style hides a fiercely competitive streak and a phenomenal workrate, and her consistently long striking from play and from dead balls is a vital weapon in Derry's armoury. Like Claire and Ashling, Gráinne was also to the fore whenever the going got tough, most notably in the All-Ireland Final where her stamina and fortitude were tested to their very limit.

Ashling is one of the new kids on the block, having joined the county team at the beginning of last year's championship. A powerful athlete and fearless competitor, she has reaped the rewards of all her work on skill and technique and is now maturing into the complete player of the modern era. Again, Ashling was at the heart of all the crucial battles in this year's championship and produced a storming display in Croke Park, where she notched three spectacular points from play before stealing in for that famous last-minute goal.

County boss, Susan Uí Mhianáin, was fulsome in her praise of the three. "We are all delighted for the three girls, and it is an honour that has been earned the hard way by them. Indeed, a couple of other players might also have been nominated, but Ulster got only four nominations in total. Claire, Gráinne and Ashling are highly committed athletes who make huge sacrifices of time and effort in striving to be the absolute best they can. They are great examples to any young boys or girls in the county, and they prove that if you train and prepare like the very best, you can match the very best. Everybody in the county will be hoping that Derry will get their first ever All-star, and that would be the icing on the cake after a great year for camogie in the county."