MELISSA Duggan loves the hardship of training in the biting cold in the darkest depths of the winter. The harder, the better.
She’ll be wrapped in several layers from head to foot, but still smiling through it all.
‘I love pre-season,’ she says, surprisingly enthusiastic about that dreaded part of the season that, for many, is all about survival.
But the Dunmanway footballer embraces it.
‘I love all the hard training and the hard work that you put in because you’ll see those rewards towards the middle to end of the league and in the summer,’ she explains. No pain, no gain.
‘I love training on cold nights. Anyone who knows me knows I will be covered up, from top to toe; I’d have my hat on and about three layers, leggings, the whole shebang.
‘I love going out in the cold and doing those hard runs.
‘Everyone has to be on the same page and we’ll get through it together, and I love the hard running and the hard gym sessions at this time of the season.
‘This year we have been really focussed on the gym, and the gym sessions are nearly harder than the training sessions at times. It’s a good laugh, still. We’d be sore and complaining, but it’s good fun. Everyone just wants to work hard.’
It’s her bring-it-on attitude and steely approach that has seen Duggan rise from the quiet girl from Ballyboy outside Dunmanway to a leader on this Cork ladies’ football team. She’s 27 now, in her eighth season on the senior panel and though she’ll admit she’s not the loudest, the 2019 All-Star leads by example. For Duggan, a crucial turnover in defence can have the same impact as leading by talking – and in the West Cork woman, the Rebels have one of the best defenders in the business, hitting her prime.
She also can’t wait to get back to action this Sunday, as Cork open their Division 1 campaign against Galway in Mallow. It’s a mixture of excitement and nervousness ahead of throw-in, Duggan says, but after a clean break from football in the closed season, she’s keen to get going again.
Whereas in the winter of 2022 the Doheny footballer spent three months exploring Asia with her sisters, in the recent winter she spent two memory-packed weeks in America with her boyfriend. Her first trip to the States hit all the right notes.
‘We went to New York, New Orleans and Miami; it’s nice to have some downtime in the off-season,’ she explains, and hopping on a flight off the island is a must, too.
‘I feel that even when you are home and you're not in competition and not training, that you do feel a bit guilty about not going to the gym or a run, so it’s nice to get away, switch off and get some time away from it all,’ Duggan explains.
From a few nights in New Jersey, to exploring the sights and sounds of New Orleans and that included a swamp tour, to hanging out in South Beach in Miami, she loved every minute of it. The highlight?
‘I loved New Orleans; it was so cool and I loved the jazz,’ she says.
The mood music was good after the trip, too, as the mind and body were ready to go again for the new inter-county season when Cork returned to training in December. The squad was given time off from pre-season over Christmas, too, and that was a festive treat they all appreciated and enjoyed. What has also helped the mood is Cork LGFA has set up their own gym in Ballincollig – and this has been given the seal of approval.
‘It’s fantastic to have our own gym. We have only had it a few weeks but it has already helped us so much. We have everything there, nearly eight racks, and lots of weights. It's something that might seem so small but it will make such a big difference to us. It’s in the perfect location, too,’ says Duggan, who is now based in Naas, a two-hour drive on the motorway.
Working as a pharmacist in Kilcullen in Kildare on Mondays and Tuesdays, she then works as a locum pharmacist for the rest of the week; the best comparison is like it’s subbing as a teacher. It gives her the flexibility she needs to play at the highest level, and helps her preparation for match day, like this Sunday in Mallow. Four of Cork’s first five league games are at home so there’s a real chance to get the campaign off to a positive start.
‘Home advantage is so important,’ Duggan agrees, ‘and we need to make that count.’
What also counts is that unseen work in pre-season, and the hope is it will all pay off when the action throws-in.
