Gemma Begley | Angela Casey | Annette Clarke | Nollaig Cleary
Edel Concannon | Katrina Connolly | Briege Corkery | Bernie Finlay
Lorna Joyce | Kate Leah | Fiona McHale | Sarah McLoughlin | Angie McNally
Valerie Mulcahy | Andrea Murphy | Juliet Murphy | Mary Nevin
Bronagh O'Donnell | Geraldine O'Shea | Grainne Smith | Cora Staunton
Aisling Tierney | Patrice Dennehy

The Monaghan girls are a team on the up. They have been playing some super football in this year’s National League, beating Meath and losing narrowly to Galway at the semi-final stage. Sharp-shooting forward, Aisling Tierney is one of the stars of the team. Coming back from injury, she scored an amazing tally of 9 goals and 8 points in the final three games of the league campaign.

With the Championship around the corner, Aisling is all fired up and can’t wait to take on Donegal, Down and Tyrone in the Ulster section qualifying group. With a bit of luck and a lot of hard work she hopes to fulfil her dream of playing in a big final in Croker this year. And the omens are good, the last time Monaghan got to a
League semi-final, they went on to play in the All-Ireland final. Let’s see if history repeats itself.

What was your greatest moment in sport?
Beating the mighty Kerry to win the 1997 U-14 All-Ireland football title in Ballinasloe.

Which is the toughest team you have faced?
Mayo. They are a skillful physical side who have some class players.

Who was your toughest opponent
Ruth Stevens who plays for Galway. She is a fantastic footballer and marked me really tight in this year’s League semi-final showdown.

How do you balance your studies and football?
I am a student at St.Patrick’s Teacher Training College in Dublin and it can be hard to travel to Monaghan for training. If you make the time and put in the effort, it is worth it in the end.

Which player do you admire the most?
Jenny Greenan, centre-back on the Monaghan team.

Who was your childhood sporting hero?
Maggie Kierans from the Aghabog Club here in Monaghan.

What club do you play for and who are your biggest rivals?
I play for Clones and our biggest rivals are Truadh. We play them loads of times each year at U-14, Minor and Senior level.

Do you play any other sports?
Badminton and soccer.

What are your hopes for the future?
I would love to get back to Croke Park with Monaghan and more importantly, I can’t wait to qualify as a teacher.

What advice would you give to young players?
Train hard but most of all, enjoy the game. At the end of the day it is sport and it should be fun.