Ulster Intermediate championship final: Armagh 6-33 Antrim 0-6
Armagh winning back the Ulster Intermediate title with a comprehensive victory over Antrim at Pearse Og Park on Saturday after losing last year’s decider to Down. There was never a chance that Antrim’s reserve team, just started this year and without a game in six weeks, would pull the rug from under Armagh’s feet.
Corner-forward Rachael Merry opened and closed the scoring for the Orchard county and in between she fired over another six points.
“I thought we had done the hard work in the last two games, against Down and Cavan. We expected to win today, but we didn’t expect it would be just as easy as it was,” said the Granemore player.
“Antrim were just an unknown quantity and we were focussed on bringing through the lessons we had learned in the last couple of close games.”
Two weeks ago, Armagh had to come from behind to dethrone Down with just a single point between the teams at the end and then the semi-final against Cavan went to extra time just six days before the final.
“When you are playing in those games and struggling to get scores, you don’t realise how well you are coming on as players and as a team.
“Against Cavan we struggled in the first half against the wind and the rain and a big strong Cavan team. But we had to dig deep and fight for every ball.
“In extra-time then we got the scores to bring us through. I think our fitness and all had a lot to do with it.
“Mattie (Lennon, the new manager) is brilliant, he is very professional in the way he goes about things. It is probably the type of set-up we have been looking for as past few years and now that we have it, all the girls are really responding and working hard at training and games.
“The team play is getting better every game we play. Hopefully it will build now as we move towards the All-Ireland.”
Armagh’s first game in their defence of the All-Ireland Junior title is against Waterford on Saturday, July 24 with a trip to Wexford to follow a fortnight later.
“We have Waterford at home. But we don’t know what to expect there at all. We haven’t played them recently at all. But we know what Wexford have because we played them twice in the league.”
Both those Wexford games ended in defeat for Armagh, but the Granemore sharpshooter believes that the Orchard county can learn from those defeats.
“Look, there was little between the teams in both games. We had chances to get well ahead in both game. We will be out to beat them the next day and I believe these three Ulster championship games have really helped us.
“It would have been a long gap between the league final and the start of the championship. So it was good to get games, hard games against Down and Cavan and then winning here today means we have something to show for it. It’s always good when you win something.”
