Roscommon goalkeeper Helena Cummins acknowledged it is a ‘nice achievement’ to win the ZuCar Golden Glove award for 2025.
Cummins landed the award courtesy of her outstanding point blank save from Joanne Doonan in a TG4 All-Ireland intermediate football championship group stage encounter with Fermanagh at Kiltoom on June 15.
The Roscommon shot-stopper saw off competition from Eimear Barry (Laois), Robyn Murray (Meath), Dearbhla Gower (Galway) and Clare Friel (Donegal).
This was helped in no small way by the Roscommon LGFA and Cummins’ own club, Michael Glaveys, urging people to vote for the veteran netminder across their various social media channels.
Cummins was extremely grateful for the support she received for this award from not just within her native county, but outside of it as well.
“Delighted, it’s a nice achievement to get” explained Cummins.
“I was quite surprised by it myself, to be honest. I wasn’t expecting to win it because I was up against counties with a lot bigger areas.
Going up against some very good keepers there, senior level as well,” said Cummins.
“I really wasn’t expecting it. It just goes to show how a small county like Roscommon can really get behind people and support their own”.
“It got me over the line. Even people outside the county that supported me as well, it was great. It’s great to know that the support is out there”.
“Glaveys is my club and they really got behind me as well, like they always do. They’re always there behind everything”.
Big Michael Glaveys support
They always push things and they always support everyone from the club, but they really got behind me now with plenty of sharing and asking people to share. It was great to see my local club helping out as well.”
Within seconds of making her award-winning save from a goal-bound Doonan effort in that clash against Fermanagh, Cummins had to be on her toes to turn away another close-range shot by Sinead Barrett.
The keeper made a number of stops throughout the contest. However, Roscommon eventually fell to a 4-10 to 3-9 defeat.
The defeat sent the Rossies into the relegation play-off.
Indeed, a 3-13 to 1-9 success over Wicklow in Crettyard ensured they retained their second-tier status for 2025.
Cummins admitted there was disappointment within the Roscommon ranks at not making it into the IFC knockout rounds.
“We were disappointed after the Fermanagh game, we dusted ourselves off and we knew we had a job to do against Wicklow. When we went out and we got the job done”.
“The season ended up a lot shorter than we had hoped, but at the same time we prevented ourselves going down to junior.
It’s just something we’ll have to learn from and push on for next year.”
An All-Ireland Minor ‘B’ Football Championship winner in 2009, Cummins was drafted into the Roscommon senior panel a year later.
While she hasn’t been part of the set-up in every season since making her competitive bow, she has made over 100 appearances for the Rossies at adult level.
Club championship now takes centre stage
Cummins now has her focus on a busy schedule with Michael Glaveys in the Roscommon intermediate football championship.
Having overcome Western Gaels in an opening round game on August 10, Glaveys went on to lose against St. Barry’s in their next championship encounter seven days later.
However, they played out a 1-10 to 2-7 draw with Kilbride on August 24 and this Sunday will see them taking on Padraig Pearses in the fourth round of the intermediate championship in Ballinlough (throw-in 11am).
There will also be a final round robin fixture against St Croan’s next weekend. After that, Cummins is hopeful that the 2023 junior county champions will be featuring in the knockout rounds of the intermediate grade.
“As soon as county finished, it was straight back to the club set-up with Michael Glaveys” explained Cummins.
“Girls I’ve played with since I was very young, so it was great to get back to them.
“At the moment, I’m not even thinking about county just yet. Like every other year, it’s concentrating solely on club and trying to get somewhere within that.”
