Ladies Gaelic Football

ladiesgaelic.ie // 5 SENIOR CLUB ALL IRELAND FINAL Volume 14 | Issue No 4 | PEIL Winter "When that final buzzer went, you're trying to find the closest person to you and you're so tired – it's just to stay standing really at that stage!" The sheer elation was etched on O'Sullivan's face as she hoisted the Dolores Tyrrell Memorial Cup aloft. So long the bridesmaids, Mourneabbey were now heading down the aisle in that sparkling dress and wearing the veil of champions. They were brilliant in the first half in an attacking sense – opening up a 0-8 to 0-1 lead before holding a 1-12 to 1-3 interval advantage. Doireann O'Sullivan was magnificent with long-range scores, while also assisting Laura Fitzgerald's goal. Mourneabbey were firmly in control and the second half was about seeing the job through, attacking prowess replaced by a sense of defensive responsibility. O'Sullivan admitted: "We surprised ourselves with that (early 0-8 to 0-1 lead). "(But) we knew that all we needed to do was perform and we would get the result that comes with that. "Credit to the girls, we put so much pressure on them in their backline – it was just relentless from 1-15 and the girls that came on. I'm so proud of them." Mourneabbey's attacking display, particularly in that first half, was summed up by their economy in front of goal. Out of 1-12 registered before the break, 1-9 was contributed from play. And O'Sullivan smiled: "The girls in the forward line were popping over the scores – I was probably the only forward that didn't score! "They made up for me, they're so accurate and fair play to them for keeping the head on such a big day. Our back line has got us over the line on so many occasions this year. They were superb in the semi-final and came into their own in the second half when they had to." Ultimately, it would prove to be a day of redemption for Mourneabbey. Rather than being weighed down by the baggage of previous Final defeats, they revelled in the challenge that presented itself. O'Sullivan admits, however, that it was difficult at times not to let adverse pre- match thoughts in. She said: "You obviously do think about it (previous defeats) but try not to dwell on it too much because it can turn into a negative. We wanted to keep it as positive as possible but it (defeats) does drive you forward a little bit. We knew that if we performed, we were going to win." And that was very much the key for Mourneabbey, with a perception within the camp that they hadn't done themselves justice in those Final losses in 2014, 2015 and 2017. They were steeled for battle, too, having come through a Cork Final replay against West Cork Ladies, before being handed a stern test by Waterford outfit Ballymacarbry in the Munster Senior A decider. Those victories left Mourneabbey on top of the pile in county and province for the fifth successive year – but there was one prize they coveted above all others. Speaking at Captains Day, on the Tuesday before the Final at Croke Park, Mourneabbey representative Eimear Meaney laid it on the line. "I don't think I've ever wanted something as bad," she told reporters. And O'Sullivan agreed: "It's really difficult to put into words. Eimear said it during the week – this means everything. It might sound stupid to put so much into something that's not a certainty – you're never going to be sure that you're going to win. But winning does mean everything to everyone on this team and in this club." And for nine Mourneabbey players, it was the completion of an unprecedented set of All-Ireland Junior, Intermediate and Senior Medals. The players in question are Ciara Harrington, Róisín O'Sullivan, Rebecca Larkin, Ciara O'Sullivan, Eimear Harrington, Cathy Ann Stack, Sandra Conroy, Sile O'Callaghan and Kathryn Coakley. It's a quite phenomenal achievement and rise for a club that, after cracking the senior code, could follow up with further triumphs. O'Sullivan noted: "That's a credit to them and all the people who have trained Mourneabbey through the years – Jerry O'Sullivan trained us all the way up when we were younger, Don Forde, Con O'Sullivan, Derry Cronin. All of those people have put so much into this club over the last few years. This is as much for them as it is for us." And even though O'Sullivan was sin-binned in the final, Mourneabbey still exhibited the levels of "control" that Ronayne had referred to. But then again, there were never any doubts in Mourneabbey minds. O'Sullivan reiterated: "Over the past few weeks and even on the day, I don't think I ever doubted we were going to win. It just goes to show the trust we have in this dressing room. When the chips were down, I could go through every single person from 1-15 and the people that came on and talk about them, how well they played and how much they put into this match. "It really was a complete team performance and we're absolutely delighted." Doireann O'Sullivan of Mourneabbey in action against Sinéad Goldrick of Foxrock-Cabinteely

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