Timing is everything and Hannah Tyrrell was probably cursing her luck in 2021 when she rejoined the Dublin ladies squad.
Mick Bohan's side were aiming for a fifth All-Ireland on the trot but Meath proved a step too far in the decider. A year later and Donegal ended their quest to regain the Brendan Martin Cup at the quarter-final stage.
Was Tyrrell about to give it another go in 2023?
Dublin were now in transition. Some long-serving stars were no longer around. Newer names had to be introduced; manager Bohan had to coax the likes of Sinead Aherne to stay on.
Tyrrell did give it another go.
And when the sporting images of 2023 are being chronicled, shots of Hannah Tyrrell and her daughter Aoife on the Croke Park pitch will no doubt take the pride of place in the August compilation. It was the aftermath of Dublin regaining their All-Ireland crown at Croke Park and mammy had ticked a box she was determined to tick off. She wanted that All-Ireland medal.
Hannah Tyrrell's sporting journey is remarkable. In the first decade of this century she lined out between the posts at underage level for Dublin. In 2011 she featured on the St Catherine's side that won the FAI Cup. Back to women's football and progression to the senior ranks followed.
In 2014, Dublin reached the All-Ireland final, but Tyrrell would not be involved. Rugby came calling. First, the Sevens and then the 15s, with the Clondalkin native featuring on the Ireland side that won the 2015 Six Nations.
After her career with the oval ball finished, Tyrrell got the call from Bohan to rejoin his football squad. Two years on and the dream has been realised for the 33-year-old.
On 13 August, a terrific first-half performance, lit up by the majesty of Tyrrell, laid the platform for a memorable success against Kerry. Tyrrell scored eight of Dublin's 11 points in that half and oozed quality.
She was named player of the match afterwards. More recognition followed with the PwC GAA/GPA Player of the Month award for her excellence in this year's TG4 decider.
Speaking to the media, Tyrrell outlined her desire to get her hands on an All-Ireland medal.
"I made no secret of the fact it was a dream I was chasing for a very long time," she said.
"I spoke before the game about wanting to win a senior All-Ireland. To get over the line is what dreams are made of and I will be able to say forever more that I'm an All-Ireland winner. It will be brilliant to look back on with all the girls in years to come.
"Winning the All-Ireland is gone to the top of my list of achievements. I didn't grow up wanting to play rugby for Ireland, it came about through a very fortunate turn of events, very lucky and privileged to have been involved in that. I won a Six Nations in my very first year. The senior All-Ireland is something I wanted for a very long time. At times I didn't think I'd get it.
"I had tough conversations when I was leaving rugby. As the years went on I didn't know whether it would happen. I didn't know whether I would be at the standard required, thankfully Mick saw something in me in the summer of 2020 and by the summer of 2021 when I retired from international rugby I was asked to join the squad."
On leaving the panel in advance of Dublin's narrow loss to Cork in the 2014 All-Ireland final, Tyrrell was happy with her decision at the time, confident the opportunity to win for her county would come at a later stage.
"Watching the final they were so far head and ended up losing by a point. That was heart-breaking. I was part of that squad, maybe I could have done something. Clíodhna O'Connor ended up stepping in [in goals] for the rest of that year, I don't think I could have done a better job than her on the day. I made the choice to step away but I knew that path back to Dublin would come further down the line."
The decision to stay involved this year was ultimately was the right call, even though Tyrrell felt there were doubts back in January as to whether the Dubs could reign supreme again.
"We had a rough couple of months from the back end of last year where we were going through a massive transitional period. Players were hugely disappointed by the way the 2022 season ended, how we went about the year. Coming into 2023 it was a case of bringing in all these younger girls straight out of minor to try and get up to the standard required. It was brilliant to see them grow during the league.
"When you looked at Galway and Kerry it looked like we were miles off them. Thankfully we stuck with the process, got ourselves in really good shape, thanks to our S&C. Everyone, the team and backroom, worked really hard, and we peaked at the right time. We were able to put in a performance, that's all we wanted to do.
"I remember I was injured for the Kerry league game, where Dublin travelled all the way down to them, and it was a horrible, horrible night and Kerry absolutely smashed us. And I just remember sitting on the couch, going 'How are we ever going to contend with these?' And to see the growth and the progress within the squad, to see some of the younger but more senior players kind of step up as leaders for the ‘newbies’ this year was phenomenal.
"To see those new, young girls, straight out of minor, in their first year with the senior team, step up. We had two 19-year-olds starting at corner-back for us and they put in formidable performances.
"At the start of the year, I couldn't have seen that happening.
"For it all to come together, and all we wanted to do was perform in that final and we knew if we performed that we could come out with a win."
As for whether Tyrrell will be involved next year, well her initital reply was: "I haven't thought about it too much at all." When pushed, she added: "It probably is a little bit easier to walk away now with the All-Ireland medal in the back pocket. Another part of me is saying do I have something left to give?
"Can I help this team? Can we win again next year? We'll have the club season and I'll see where I am come January. I have a young family at home and I have to be very mindful of that. I'll see how the body feels. It would be really nice to go again. I don't know what I'd do with myself if I do decide to retire but I'm sure I'll find something if that's the case.
"I'm a player who if I’m in, I’m all in and giving 100%. And if it’s any less than that, I’ll step away because it’s unfair to my teammates. I genuinely haven’t decided that. I’m going to try and help my club, Na Fianna, to win a senior club championship which would be very sweet.
"After that, I’m going to try and enjoy a bit of down-time, and go from there. The inter-county season seems a very long way away, but I’m sure it will be creeping up on us in no time. Look, I wish I could go on and play forever, but I have to listen to the body and other commitments I have out there."
Even if we don't see the Dublin sharpshooter involved in 2024, she is confident that standards across the women's game will continue to rise.
"Back when I came into the Dublin set-up we had some phenomenal coaches and best of the best in terms of backroom team and everything we needed there. When I came back in 2021 I remember my first couple of sessions with the girls and the level had just lifted again. It kinda blew me away; it was just the standard of fitness, conditioning, the gym work that was being put in and then just the skill level of some of these girls.
"Back in 2008 and 2009 when I first in with Dublin some of those girls were only five, six years of age. It's great to see it and it's happening right across the country now. Look at the All-Ireland finals over the last number of years: the skill level and quality of games on show are phenomenal.
"Long may it continue, we haven't hit the zenith yet."
