Manager is very proud of Mullinahone footballers despite All-Ireland final defeat
'They're a great bunch of girls', says Mary O'Shea
Despite having lost a second All-Ireland final in the same year, Mullinahone ladies football manager Mary O’Shea said she was proud of the players following their defeat by Longford Slashers in Saturday’s Intermediate Club Championship final at Croke Park.
“They’re a great bunch of girls", she said.
“They gave it everything, and they’re absolutely broken-hearted. We’ll have to spend the time to be there for them now.
“We’re devastated. They (Longford Slashers) are a very good side.
“In the first half we made a few mistakes and they got scores from those mistakes, and that put us on the backfoot. At this level you can’t make those mistakes. When you’re on top you push on (as Longford Slashers had done).
“I’m devastated for the girls.”
She said that Longford Slashers had proved what she had said in the build-up to the game, that they were a tall and physical team.
“They have some movement off the ball. They work it from their half backs up, they have some fabulous runners.
“They always took the ball on the run.
“I don’t know did the occasion get to them (the Mullinahone players) a little bit. Look it, it was an experience for them anyhow.
“We have senior football to look forward to next year and those girls will give it absolutely everything. I think they will be well able to compete with the other teams in the county.
“We’ll take a good break now because it’s been a long campaign since last February and even way before that.
“It’s a long year when you’re coming into December and you’re still playing football. But the prize of playing out there (in Croke Park) is absolutely fabulous.”
She said they had to realise that in the space of just over a year they had won two county titles and two Munster titles, and also won All-Ireland semi-finals.
That represented an amount of progress.
“We just didn’t get over the final hurdle but Longford Slashers and ourselves were the last two teams left standing in the country.
“We’re the second best team in the country.”