WE caught up with Derry All-Ireland winner Aoife Shaw…

Name: Aoife Shaw.

Age: 26.

Teams played for: Lavey, Derry and previously St Pat’s, Maghera and UUJ.

Earliest GAA memory?

I remember going to watch Derry footballers in Croke Park back in 2004 and thinking this place is unbelievable.

Which team-mate has been the most inspirational and why?

Alana Ward/McMullan – always speaks from the heart before the big matches, goosebump material.

Who’s the best team-mate to train with and why?

Caitriona Toner always has plenty of positivity to go around.

Which team-mate is the worst to train with and why?

Anyone that’s too serious, training needs to be enjoyed too.

Which team-mate do you want to mark in training and why?

Eilis Toner, it’s always an entertaining experience, the woman never stops laughing.

Which team-mate do you dread marking in training and why?

Leah Lennon is always hard to mark at Derry training, treats every training match like the real deal.

Best score you’ve seen from a team-mate?

Mairead McNicholl’s point in the All-Ireland final replay in Clones, right out at the sideline, 50 metres out and at a time we really needed it. In the words of Niamh Quinn, “she can’t miss.”

What win has your team celebrated the most?

Winning the club football championship last year in our first year as a team, lots of space raiders on the go.

Which team-mate is the best on journeys away?

Dervla O’Kane always comes up with a good game to keep people entertained.

Which club is the worst for journeys away?

The worst I’ve had recently was Craigbane on a rainy Monday night.

What’s the funniest thing you’ve heard in training or in a match, and who said it?

I remember being told by a manager one time to “stick to her like sh*te on a shovel” when marking a girl from Dublin, back in my defender days.

What’s the worst excuse you’ve heard to get out of training?

Lauren McKenna leaving early to get the eyebrows done before playing in Croke Park.

Which team-mate is the loudest in the changing room?

Can never keep Eilis Toner quiet.

Which team-mate would you want standing over a last-second penalty?

Carla Collins for both football and camogie, top corner every time.

Which team-mate would you never want to see hitting a last-second penalty?

Eimear Murphy, the hamstring would be gone.

Which team-mate is the most sensible?

Sinead McGill, always the driver.

Who is the smartest of all your team mates?

Aine McGill – will be finishing her PhD this year, knows lots of sciencey stuff that the rest of us don’t understand.

Who’s the best team mate to celebrate with?

Toss up between Niamh Quinn and Eimear Murphy, both in it for the long haul and will successfully talk every barman into putting the match on the big screen.