Russell’s return was prompted by a phone call from manager Gleeson with the pair’s association going back to their time at Peamount United.
“Julie-Ann is brilliant. You see that energy on the pitch but she’s the same in everything she does,” she said.
“She’s committed, she’s diligent, she’s great round the camp, she’s great on the team. We’re very lucky to have her.”
And, of course, baby Rosie too.
“Rosie is the most important member of the squad,” Gleeson laughed.
“They come as a package. She’s got 26 aunties now, so she’s one lucky baby.”
While that “package” of Russell and her daughter in team camps is a first for the Republic of Ireland, Gleeson believes it is important for the game as a whole that such accommodations become the norm.
“It’s the women’s game and motherhood is part of being a woman.
“We want players to stay in the game and you have to create environments to facilitate that.
“Julie-Ann is back playing, she’s super fit, so it’s for us to integrate Rosie in and make sure that Julie-Ann can keep playing and, across the broader women’s game, that women can keep playing and that motherhood isn’t a barrier.”