Recent research indicating an increase in modern intercounty footballers choosing a career path to suit their playing lifestyle is a little lost on Lyndsey Davey. Long before she became a Dublin footballer, she wanted to be a firefighter, and that will be her career long after she retires from football, too.
Indeed that day may be sooner rather than later: though still only 28, Davey started with the Dublin team in 2004, aged 14, and fresh from winning a second successive All-Ireland – and third in all. These things all need to be weighed up: it just sounds like the drive for three in a row will keep the team together, including manager Mick Bohan.
“Yeah, the fact that I’m a firefighter, it’s definitely not the most ideal career to have with football,” said Davey, speaking at an AIG sponsors event. “Noelle Healy is a doctor and deals with shift work as well, so when you are involved with shift work and playing intercounty football, it’s not ideal.
“I know most people might pick their careers to be teachers and stuff because they have summers off, but I always wanted to be a firefighter and I was very lucky to get that dream job. I’m really lucky to have a fantastic crew that I work with in Dublin Airport that facilitate me swapping shifts and stuff, so from that point of view I’m very fortunate that I can do both.”
Davey’s indefatigable performance against Cork in the final earlier this month (in front of 50,141) was one of the main reasons Dublin managed to retain their title having overturned a three-final losing streak to Cork in 2014-16.
Already there is talk of Bohan’s services being requested elsewhere, with a senior men’s intercounty team, although Davey hints at the need and desire for him to stay around.
“I think there will be no intentions of letting him go. I would say the county board will definitely be trying to get him to stay on. And hopefully that’s what he wants as well. I’m sure he has a lot of great bonds with the team, and you want to win what you can when you can. Hopefully the three in a row is something he will be looking to drive towards. It will all be depending on who comes chasing after him and I’m sure he has big decisions to make as well, but hopefully he will stick with Dublin.”
More to do
Unlike the Dublin men, the women’s team cannot be accused of utter dominance. Not yet, anyway. Davey has still lost more finals than she has won, and the 2018 success was still only Dublin’s third All-Ireland championship victory in the women’s senior game.
“Unfortunately the results didn’t go our way on the day. But there was very little in those games – a point or two points. We have been there and competing in finals. We needed that something special just to get over the line. And thankfully, Mick has been able to bring that in.
“After the third defeat, in 2016, girls had to do a lot of looking at themselves and asking ‘What are we doing wrong here?’ It is very disheartening to come back year after year and still get the same outcome.
“I know for myself, I definitely questioned whether I could come back and do it again. But when I heard Mick was coming on board, I was like, yeah, signed up.
“Because I knew what he brought to the team when he was manager in 2003. And then the stuff he has done with Dublin, DCU, even the Clare footballers – he has a massive reputation. And when you have someone coming in with fresh eyes, that’s going to look at things differently, it’s exciting. You want to go at it again.”
