Ladies Gaelic Football

CATHY MEE PLAYER'S PERSPECTIVE Q : Cathy, thanks a lot for chatting to us. You tuned in to watch the 2020 TG4 All-Ireland Junior Final between Fermanagh and Wicklow. What were your thoughts on the game? A: I thought it was a very good match. It was very tight and tense, and went right down to the wire, which is the type of Final everyone loves to see. Q : Limerick topped their group to make the All-Ireland semi-finals, and lost out to Fermanagh. Having watched Fermanagh in action at close quarters, did you think that they would win the Final, or were Wicklow your tip? A: I didn't think there would be much between the two sides but I'll be honest and say I thought Wicklow might win it. That was going on their win over Fermanagh in the group stages and because the Wicklow forwards were going well and I thought they might cause a bit of trouble. We got a lot of chances in the semi-final that we didn't take and I thought Wicklow might be a bit more clinical than we were. Fermanagh, though, had lost the Final the year before and had that experience and hurt, and were a very determined side. Q : Where do you think the Final was won and lost? A: I think the Fermanagh work-rate and plan that they seem to have as a team is outstanding. They really work together and work in numbers which makes them difficult to play against and they had shown that in their game against us also. I think the early goal was a big thing because Wicklow never seemed to be able to claw the score back. The goal was always keeping a bit of a distance between them. Q : Who were the key performers on the day? A: Eimear Smyth is always dangerous and she took her goal very well. She's such a secure woman to have on the frees also. I think the Fermanagh goalie Shauna Murphy, though, is outstanding, which I learned to my own detriment in the semi-final, and she showed up again in the Final, particularly in the last play of the game. She has been so important to Fermanagh in them winning this All- Ireland. Goalies don't always get much credit but she really deserves it. Q : You know what it takes to win an All-Ireland Final – and you captained Limerick to the Junior title in 2018. How different do you think preparations were for both counties ahead of this Final, with the game behind closed doors at Parnell Park? A: I don't imagine there would have been a huge difference preparation-wise. You're preparing to put on the best performance you can and that does not change no matter where the game is on and who is there watching. The nerves are going to be very high for any All-Ireland final but maybe there would have been a difference to that aspect because playing in Croke Park is such a huge moment in any player's career and the crowd that has been at the Finals for the last few years has been huge. I remember taking to the field in 2018 and for a couple mins my legs felt like they were going to buckle and I couldn't hear a thing with all the music and everything that was going on around the stadium. That can be a little unsettling, especially if it's your first time experiencing it. With not having that, the players might have been a little calmer going into the match. Q : How do you rate Limerick's season, and are you confident of getting back in contention for the Junior title in 2021? A: Our season was up and down. Results wise, we didn't have a great League campaign but at the same time we would have been happy enough with some of the performances because we were such a new team and there were so many girls who were only starting off playing adult inter-county. I was very impressed with a lot of the girls who came on to the panel this year, they settled really quickly. We obviously won our two Championship group games but should have scored more and not being clinical enough came back to catch us in the semi-final against Fermanagh. Obviously we got off to a terrible start and left too much work to do in the end but we still could have won the game with the amount of chances we had and I think it showed a lot about the team that the heads didn't drop in the first half and we tried to fight back. I think if the panel sticks together, keeps that attitude and we maybe get a few more players in, we will be in contention. 28 | WINTER 2020 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie Cathy Mee was Limerick's 2018 TG4 All-Ireland Junior winning captain. The Shannonside star was a member of the Limerick team beaten by eventual winners Fermanagh at the semi- final stage in the 2020 Junior Championship. Here, Cathy reviews the Final victory for the Erne County over Wicklow.

• Cover