Mel's love of camogie still burns bright after all these years

Speaking early last week ahead of her side’s Leinster quarter-final against St.Lazarians of Abbeyleix, Melanie Treacy gave the impression of being someone who is obsessed with the sport that she has played all her life. For full disclosure, this writer and interviewer is a nephew of the St. Laurence’s goalkeeper, but you don’t need to be related to her to know that she is undoubtedly a stalwart of the local camogie scene. She turned 56 on the day of our interview, and has been representing her local club with distinction for four decades.

The battle with Leixlip in the county final two weeks ago was a tight one, with Larries prevailing 2-08 to 1-08 after a closely-fought encounter. There could have been a different outcome if it wasn’t for a disallowed Leixlip goal, but Mel (as she is known locally) felt that her team deserved the win.

“I felt the final was a dogfight, to be honest, anyone could have won. I did feel we were slightly better, but I was just a bit… I don’t know if the final got to the girls because the Lexilip match we played two or three weeks previous was a better standard of game, from the Laurences girls anyway. Look it, we won, but by a goal, just. The ref had told Leixlip’s forward to get out of the square, she didn’t get out, and that’s why it was a square ball” she said.

Ahead of last weekend's game, Mel was prepared for high-calibre opposition, and expressed concern over the fact that seven dual players would be involved in two games in two days, with the club’s senior ladies footballers facing off against Milltown of Wesmeath in their Leinster quarter-final less than 24 hours after the camogie.

“I haven’t seen them (St Lazarians) but I have heard that they’re very good. We have seven (dual players) players on the panel, three definitely would start. So say this weekend, the footballers are playing in Leinster on Sunday, and we’re playing on Saturday, so there’ll be seven involved in both games. In football there’s a lot more running, in camogie the hurl does the work. But seven is a big number for crossovers. The footballers played their (county) final on a Friday night I think and obviously there’s celebrations and fair play to them, but we had a semi-final on the Sunday, so that was hard-going on the girls."

When asked if the powers-that-be could do more to help clubs like St. Laurence’s who have a number of dual players, St. Laurence’s most experienced player answered in the affirmative and spoke passionately on the topic. She pointed towards the lack of synergy between the Camogie Association and the LGFA.

“Absolutely, we’ve been going on about this for years, totally. Like, there was nothing all summer and now everything is coming together, which is kind of nice but it’s hard when you’ve dual players. Even if they did a week on week off. At this time when it comes to the final it’s just not fair. We’re lucky this year that it is only seven, next year because of the success there could be more."

As well as discussing this year’s championship, Mel spoke fondly of the legendary Larries’ camogie team of yesteryear, which contained seven of the eight Treacy sisters and dominated Kildare camogie for a decade. Alongside Mel, there was her older sister Kate as well as younger sisters Aisling, Reiltin, twins Ruth and Naomi and youngest Roxanne (known as Rocky).

"We won 13 senior championships, the first one in 1994. Ruth and Naomi played in midfield together when they were only 14. We were against Broadford, the greats, who had won nine in a row. I was actually playing with Ballyboden at the time - I didn’t win the first championship with St. Laurences. So I was blacklisted for a year! All of the girls (her sisters) were playing…From 1994 to 2004 we won ten in a row (it was actually eleven). Then we had a bit of a break, then Celbridge, Johnstownbridge, but then we won in 2007, 2008, 2009. We haven’t won a senior since 2009. We hadn’t won anything, championship-wise since 2009. We might have won a league or two," said Mel, whose name is also very much associated with the pub that she runs in Narraghmore.

Not only did the seven sisters form the backbone of that team, but around the turn of the century they were all on the Kildare panel together. Melanie, Reiltin and Aisling all achieved All-Ireland honours. The former noted how many of her current team-mates weren’t born till well after many of her achievements.

“I think they (her younger team-mates) think I just appeared out of nowhere. Like, Kildare have four All-Irelands, I’ve won four since 1987 but those girls' mothers probably weren’t born then! So the girls I’m playing don’t have any recollection of how we won 13 championships or 10 in a row or that we were the team that everyone wanted to beat years ago. I think I was 15 when I started with Kildare, I can’t remember when I gave it up but I was involved for about 30 years. Now I was probably a sub in the latter years, sub goalie or something.” 

Mel puts the Treacy sister’s success down to hard work, trust in one another’s ability and plenty of post-game analysis:

“I didn’t pass them the ball because they were my sisters, I just saw the red shirt. I trusted what they were going to do with it innately, it wasn’t because they were my sisters. We used to analyse the matches to death”.

The family legacy continues with Mel counting nieces Reiltin and Grace - daughters of Reiltin and Aisling - as teammates currently, which she says make it all even more special.

“It definitely does, with Reiltin and Grace. It’s not even winning, it’s just playing with them, and I think they’re very good. It does make it more special. Some of the girls work with me here in the pub, so even that, you have a connection with them. Even with my nephews playing for Laurence’s, you just love to see them playing as well”.

The 3-11 to 3-6 loss in Abbeyleix at the weekend was a disappointing one, but Mel gave a balanced perspective on her team and their season afterwards.

“St Lazarians were very tough physically and mentally. The five point loss wasn’t bad considering it was the time to play in Leinster for all our girls except me, and our girls were very young and innocent”.

Mel and co. will have a good break before going again next year, and they will be able to take plenty of encouragement from an impressive season.