DRIVE FOR FIVE

THEY train on a patch of astroturf in Kilkerrin-Clonberne that might as well have a warning sign at the gate:

- BY GARRY DOYLE

Only enter if you can keep up.It’s fast, it’s ruthless and it’s perfect for a history-making team that has turned relentlessness into a habit.

Kilkerrin-Clonberne are the one of the best Gaelic football teams of all time - winners of the last four All-Ireland Ladies AIB club titles, chasing five-in-a-row against Moneyglass tomorrow in Croke Park.

“The pitch we train on is very similar to Croke Park,” Nicola Ward, their star player, says. “It is nice and fast.”

Fast suits them. Pressure suits them too, because even with four All-Ireland titles in their back pocket, nothing about this team suggests they're easing off.

Ask Ward if they feel satisfied and she doesn’t blink. “No, we are not.” She remembers the early days - Connacht titles, All-Ireland semifinals, and the sting of losing their first final before they ever won one. “There is a lot of hurt in the team,” she says. “We don't want to go back to those days.”

Their week is predictable by design. They prepare for an All-Ireland final the same way they prepare for a wet Tuesday session.

“Our day on Saturday is going to be the same as the last five years,” Ward says.