Spillane and Tipperary Set Sights on Senior Return After Relegation Blow
Lucy Spillane is confident Tipperary can bounce straight back to the top tier of ladies football in 2027, despite the pain of relegation from the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship this year.
The Premier County's seven-year stint in the Brendan Martin Cup came to an end in July after a four-point loss to Tyrone in Mullingar, followed by a 0-15 to 1-80 defeat to Waterford at Mallow GAA Sports Complex. It was the fourth time in six seasons Tipp had faced a survival battle, yet the memory of reaching the All-Ireland quarter-final in 2025 gives Spillane real hope.
“We'll definitely be pushing to get back up from intermediate. We are capable of it, although we did get relegated this year. It was a sad end to the year to go down,” Spillane said.
“We'll try our best, we're well capable of getting back up senior and performing at that level. We'll just have to do it in intermediate now next year and then push on again.”
Learning from the past
This is not new territory for the Fethard defender. She was part of the Tipp side relegated to intermediate in 2018, togging out at right corner-back while still a minor. But what followed was a year to remember.
In September 2019, Spillane wore the number two jersey at Croke Park as Tipperary faced Meath in the All-Ireland Intermediate final, with 56,114 spectators creating a memorable atmosphere. Despite Meath fielding several players who would later win back-to-back senior All-Irelands, Tipp prevailed 2-16 to 1-14.
“It was a great day. Everybody would have been on a low in 2018 after going down, getting relegated and everything. Then to go up the next year and win the intermediate again and go back up senior was great,” she recalled.
“It was an unreal experience. I was quite young at the time and I just remember hearing all the crowd in Croke Park and everything. Even playing in Croke Park, it was always a dream. It was unbelievable.”
Club success with Fethard
Spillane has also enjoyed significant success with her club Fethard. In October 2022, she captained the side from midfield to victory over Brian Borus in their first-ever Camida Tipperary Senior 'A' Football final. Fethard retained the title in 2023 and reached the decider again in both 2024 and 2025.
Last weekend brought a narrow semi-final defeat to Cahir, but the recent journey has been remarkable for the blue and white.
“That was our first senior county final and it was a great day for the club and everyone involved. Being captain, it does make it that little bit more special. It was a great day for everyone,” Spillane said.
A family affair
For Spillane, GAA has always been a family matter. Her sisters Heather, Emily and Nell joined her in the Fethard starting line-up for those county title wins, and all four were part of the county senior panel in 2025. Emily and Nell have since stepped away, but Lucy and Heather remain involved with Tipperary.
Their father Micheál has been a constant presence, coaching at the club for years and still playing a key role behind the scenes with the Fethard senior ladies.
“He has been involved with us. He has probably been involved with me since I was U8s or U6s. I've had him most of the years up underage and so did a lot of the girls. He has been coaching lots of teams. We're well used to him now,” Spillane added.
“There's myself and my three sisters playing for the last few years. It's grand now for us. It's nice to play with your sisters. You'd be so used to them and everything, it's grand.
“This year it was myself and Heather in [with Tipperary], but last year Heather, Nell and Emily and myself were all involved. It's nice. We'd be sick of each other by the end of it, but it was nice playing with them, with club and with Tipperary.”
What does 2027 hold for Tipperary?
Tipperary will compete in the intermediate grade next year, with promotion the clear target. Spillane's experience of bouncing back in 2019, combined with the talent within the squad, suggests the Premier County have every reason to believe they can return to the senior ranks.
The challenge ahead is clear, but so is the determination. As Spillane puts it, the team are well capable of performing at senior level. The work starts now.