Amber Barrett admits she sometimes wonders if she was right to choose the green of Ireland over Donegal’s green and gold.
But then the FC Koln striker remembers she is potentially three games away from a play-off to qualify for the World Cup and she remembers why she opted for the 11-a-side games.
Barrett was back in her home county recently and watched Donegal’s Ulster final defeat against Derry from her family home.
Now she is in Turkey preparing for tomorrow week’s World Cup qualifier away to Georgia - and all eyes are on three crucial points.
“Gareth [Maher, press officer] told me that questions about Donegal GAA weren't allowed in this interview,” she joked, days after Donegal’s elimination from this year’s All-Ireland Championship was confirmed in a qualifiers defeat to Armagh.
As for her own Gaelic football career, Barrett was tipped for the top before focusing on soccer.
“Of course there are times when I look at Donegal doing well and think ‘I’d have loved to have played in that game or in Croke Park’,” said the 26-year-old.
“But the experiences I’ve had and the opportunities I’ve got over the last five years, the people I’ve met through football, the experience of international games and international goals, being in so many high profile matches and pursuing a World Cup ambition is something every player in their right mind would make in that regard.
“Every day I am still trying to come to terms with it because I’m one of the luckiest people alive to get to represent Ireland and have this experience.
“Hopefully there is a long way to go yet.”
Securing a place in the World Cup would be the realisation of a dream for Barrett, who says the hurt of their failure to qualify for this summer’s European Championships still drives her.
“There is no getting away from the fact that we will be watching it but won’t be able to get away from that feeling of what if, what might have been,” she admitted.
“With it being in England and so close, having the chance that we did, it will only be a motivator long term.
“Using that disappointment will push us on in the right way and we should never forget how we felt after that Ukraine game.
“Time has moved on and we have to move on too. I think we have, but it’s still an incentive to remember how we felt in that moment.”
Ireland put a record 11 goals past Georgia late last year in Tallaght Stadium, but they won’t be taking victory for granted in Gori in eight days’ time.
“Every game is different,” warned Barrett. “There were Covid cases in the Georgia team at the time, that probably aided us a little bit.
“This game will be a completely different game to turn around to.
“The players here, there is no one here who will let you take your feet too far off the ground.
“We know looking at the other games, a lot of the teams that came here, a game was put up to them. We don't expect anything different on Monday week.”
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