Picture the scene. Serving at 20 in the second game of the All-Ireland semi-final after winning the first, Fiona Tully hit what looked like a winning shot and, quite naturally, celebrated what she thought was a victory – only for Martina McMahon to dig the shot out and both players to watch it roll out in the corner.
All was well that ended well for the 25-year-old St Coman’s woman, who managed to return to the service box and finish the job. In her post-match interview, the talented dual player was in jovial mood and poked fun at herself for her faux pas.
“I don’t think I’m ever going to live that down!” Fiona laughed.
“I went for the shot, Martina hit it and I heard her kind of sigh, she had mishit it, and I couldn’t see the ball so I thought ‘oh, it mustn’t be going up’ but it did and it went into the corner as well.
“It was mortifying but I think it kind of spurred me on for the last few minutes because I had to win that game considering what I did. I’m never going to live that down, ever!”
The win over the brilliant McMahon rounded off an excellent weekend’s work for the talented footballer who had overcome Kildare’s Mollie Dagg in a tiebreaker the previous day.
“Mollie played so well, I don’t think there was anything I could have done with her in the first part of the game, she played out of her skin. Whenever I play Mollie, she is always so tough to play, I never get an easy game against her.
“She came out all guns blazing in the first game, I couldn’t do anything, but I think I settled into the game better in the second game and then the tiebreaker as well, I think I kind of found myself but it was still tough. Never easy.”
Tully’s tactics worked out well in the semi-final against the Treaty citeog.
“Just to keep it away from her left hand (was the strategy), I suppose the three-wall serve kind of worked against her, I don’t think the glass is any of our best friend when we are in there playing. When you get it on her left hand, she will shoot from the back of the court so you just have to try to play it to her right hand, which is easier said than done.”
Last year, Tully earned her first Major senior title when she took gold at the Irish Wallball Nationals on a busy weekend when she also fitted in a championship football match. While that was a great success, the 4-wall title is the one she really craves.
“I was asked when I won the Wallball was I happy when I won it and I said yeah but the next question was ‘but you’d prefer the 40x20’ and I said yeah, I think everyone would. I’d like to play well first of all, it’s my first final and I’m delighted to be there so to even play well and give her a good game would be a good start to be honest.”
There will be plenty of support up from Roscommon for the final, although Fiona’s father and brothers won’t be able to make it this time.
“Hopefully. For Christmas, we got my Dad and my brother a flight over to New York to see my other brother for the Mayo game so they’re not going to be there but hopefully there will be a good crowd there,” she said.