Since making her debut in 2014, the Loreto woman has been one of the first names on the team sheet, being an ever-present at each major tournament during that time and earning 157 caps for the national side.

Matthews won the EuroHockey Championships II with the side in 2015 and was part of Graham Shaw’s silver medalists at the World Cup in 2018.

Most recently, she was part of Sean Dancer’s Olympic squad that made their debut at the famous summer games earlier this year at Tokyo 2020.

“It’s 150 more caps than I thought I would ever get,” Matthews said in the wake of her decision. “There was a long period where I wasn’t involved but once I got in, it was a case of grabbing the opportunity and I have enjoyed every second of it.

The defender had big moments early on in her career at Loreto, a club with whom she has played for since she was eight years old.

However, she did not get her call-up from those highlights and had to bide her time until she earned her debut.

“I don’t know what other people thought but I did have that expectation. I played Under-16, Under-18, Under-21 and I saw other people getting called in and you do start to think ‘this is not going to happen for me’.

“I worked on what I could work on and when the opportunity came, I was very much ready for it at 23. I had my college years, had a social life and so it worked out pretty well and I was lucky!

“I was playing away with Loreto and that was such a big thing for me, lining out in such a competitive team who wanted to play at a high standard.

“One year, I just sucked it up and worked on my fitness and got a call-up. I almost didn’t go to the trial weekend because it was in the middle of my teaching practice but I went and haven’t looked back since.”

Matthews was called up by Darren Smith, who she reckons wasn’t keen on her at the start but she proved her worth over time.

Ireland missed out on the Rio Olympics but the 30-year-old said that the dream of playing at the Summer Games drove them and the side went from strength to strength since their Olympic disappointment.

They won the EuroHockey Championships II weeks after missing out on an Olympic spot and surprised everyone as the second-lowest seed at the 2018 World Cup.

“You still look back and think it was almost like a holiday compared to Tokyo! We were having the time of our lives. It was so close to heartbreak all over again when you look back [at the qualifiers in South Africa].

“Grace [O’Flanagan] came off the bench, made that incredible save against India and it was such a game-changer, something we have in the memory bank that whatever happens, we can come through it. The road that got us there was definitely important and I would not change it.”

The side earned sponsorships before their famous World Cup campaign and this allowed the players to work part-time and train professionally.

Matthews job shared her teaching role at the Holy Trinity National School in Leopardstown as a result of this and is forever grateful for the school and her colleagues to allow her to do so, a healthy situation she knows was an option not afforded to a number of her teammates.

“Of all the things you try to envision, you could never foresee a global pandemic. You just start thinking this might not happen for us. Up until Christmas, I kept checking any social media or news to see what was happening.

“It was worth the wait. For me, it certainly put things in perspective. I always knew I was going to retire after the Olympics. It was almost like another bite of the cherry for preparation and I went into the year wanting to enjoy every second of it, whether I got picked or not.

“I wanted to walk off and say I played my best hockey and enjoyed it. That was very freeing and I do think I played some of my best stuff in an Irish jersey compared to the year before.”

Having given her all in Japan, she is content to step back despite current Irish coach Sean Dancer keeping the door open for a comeback if she is keen

“100% – it was a decision I took a while to make. I didn’t take it lightly and I was honest with Sean. He was brilliant that I could have that honest conversation and it didn’t affect my selection for the Olympics or personal issues.

“It’s lovely to still be wanted but it is the right time in my life. There’s things I have put on hold and people who have put their lives on hold for me so it is time to grow up!

“It certainly hasn’t been easy but we have had great moments and great highlights over the years. Stepping away from it, I am just so grateful for every bit of it – the people I have met along the way, the people who have supported me who have been incredible.

“Now it’s time for teaching and enjoying club hockey! I’m really looking forward to this club season and a nice normal life, maybe slowing down a little bit!”

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The side will play their first-ever Olympic match on Saturday when they face South Africa in their pool stage opener.

Sean Dancer’s side is looking to take this tournament one game at a time rather than worry about the bigger picture.

“At the moment, it’s just taking one game at a time. This is all really new to us, we’ve never been to an Olympics and we are one of the few teams [in the tournament] who have never been to an Olympics before,” said Matthews.

The Olympic call-up will be a special memory for the 30-year-old defender but it is also a weird one.

Matthews explains the uncommon label she has put on the experience by noting that the aftermath was different to what a call-up would have meant before the pandemic.

It felt bittersweet as there were players who trained with them that missed out on a spot and there was no possibility of a big celebration, with it only kicking in for Matthews on kit day.

“It was really emotional. I’m obviously so delighted, it’s a dream come true but it was really hard to believe that it was actually happening.”

The teacher has been allowed to commit herself fully to the national hockey preparations for the tournament after going on a career break.

The career break was more to do with contractual obligations, according to Matthews, but she feels she has benefitted from it and added that the school she works at has been really supportive.

Their preparations have included an underwhelming EuroHockey Nations Championship campaign in the Netherlands.

The side was knocked out of the group stage on goals scored and suffered an embarrassing 5-1 loss to England, finishing sixth and missing out on an FIH 2022 World Cup qualification spot.

“I think we were definitely disappointed – more so in our performances. We just felt like we didn’t really represent how well we’ve been playing and how well we’ve been training.”

However, Matthews did note that it was the best Olympic preparation they could have asked for as they played against top sides throughout their time in the tournament.

The defender cited the improved performance against the Netherlands, compared to their World Cup final loss, and hopes that the side will keep improving.

They come into the Olympics ranked ninth in the world and Matthews feels that part of that is down to their close-knit group, both on and off the pitch.

Many of the players were part of the 2018 FIH World Cup campaign, including Deirdre Duke, and have grown close to each other over the years.

“It’s a massive thing for our squad. It’s always going to be a benefit when you’re in such close quarters for that long.”

However, their families will not be able to travel to cheer the girls on at the Olympics in Tokyo.

The Loreto captain lamented that some families may miss players’ last games if they retire.

But, the Dubliner does not believe that the lack of crowds will affect the Irish side as they have played in empty stadiums before.

 “The support we had against Canada [in the Olympic play-off] and in the World Cup was incredible, I’ve never experienced anything like it. But, we also have experience of playing to absolutely no one and empty stands unfortunately so I guess we’ll draw on that…It’s something we’re used to so I dont think it’ll affect us that much.”

She takes comfort in knowing that everyone is in the same boat.

Dancer’s Ireland go into this tournament with others wary of what they are capable of after current New Zealand boss Graham Shaw led them to a World Cup silver medal in a tournament where they were outsiders.

Matthew and co. also have nothing to compare the experience of playing at the Olympics too but the defender has confidence they can do well, noting that anything can happen in tournament hockey.

“You have to believe in yourself or it’s no use to anyone.”

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