HockeyWhen she joined Clontarf last season Fiona Manning was returning to her roots, 20 years after beginning her playing career, as a schoolgirl, with her local club. She went on, of course, to have almost ceaseless success with Muckross and Hermes, but is now hoping to put that experience to good use as coach of Clontarf on their return to first division hockey.
And not only are the club back in the top flight (the men also won promotion last season), they're also back home in Clontarf, with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern officially opening their new pitch at Mount Temple school last weekend.
"We were nomadic for five or six years," says Manning, "playing in the Royal College of Surgeons, King's Hospital, DCU, Suttonians and so on, so it's great to be back home. It's a community-based club, the players are all local and in some ways that's unique because a lot of the southside clubs draw from everywhere.
"There is, then, a big community aspect to the club and there was a huge effort to get the pitch down. The key thing for us now is to get links in to the schools in the area, like Mount Temple, Manor House, Santa Sabina and Holy Faith.
"At least now schoolgirls have an opportunity to stay local and develop their game at Clontarf. We're the only senior club on the northside now so hopefully, we can attract these players, rather than losing them to other clubs."
Back after five years in the top flight, the fixture list has ensured their reintroduction will be a testing one: they're away to defending champions Loreto tomorrow.
"We have to play them at some stage so we're happy enough to play them at the start," says Manning. "It will give our players an idea of what you have to do to get to the top. Playing in Senior B is completely different, the pace of the game, everything, but I don't think players really realise that until they're playing the likes of Loreto and the other top teams.
"We're under no illusions, it's going to be a tough year, there's no doubt, but we're looking forward to it, it's where we want to be. We have our targets for the season and we're realistic about them. Our main priority is to stay senior and improve from there, look at it a long-term way."
After a year away Sarah Scott has returned to Loreto but Sinéad Walsh has left for Railway Union and Therese O'Keeffe, who has been posted to Kosovo with the Army, will be unavailable until after Christmas.
Railway, boosted by the return of Irish international Ciara O'Brien from UCD, open their campaign tomorrow against Three Rock, who are coached this season by Roy Horsfield.
Pembroke Wanderers also have a new man in charge, Jonathan Harte, for their opener against Corinthian, who have been strengthened by the arrival of former under-21 international Sarah McMaster from UCD.
Hermes, who will be coached by Rudi Wortmann and Sarah Hilliard, will have USA international Molly Powers but have lost Christine Quinlan to UCD. They open up tomorrow against Genesis who are being coached by Glenanne player Paul Fitzpatrick.
LEINSTER LEAGUE - Division One: Three Rock v Railway Union, Grange Road, 1.0; Loreto v Clontarf, Beaufort, 1.0; Pembroke Wanderers v Corinthian, Ballsbridge, 1.30; Genesis v Hermes, Belfield, 4.15. Division Two: Loreto II v Muckross, Beaufort, 2.30; Pembroke Wanderers II v Hermes II, Ballsbridge, 3.0; Loreto III v Diocesan, Beaufort, 4.0.
