FERMANAGH’S Bláithín Bogue hopes that last year’s All-Ireland final loss hurt and disappointment will drive them to greater things as they prepare for a semi-final showdown with Limerick on Saturday in Longford.
The Erne county lost last year’s final to Antrim after a replay and now they find themselves 60 minutes away from back-to-back All-Ireland final appearances.
Getting back to the final though is not guaranteed and Bogue knows that, with a familiar opponent in Limerick, who they faced at this same stage last year and who also have serious aspirations of an All-Ireland junior title, there will be little margin for error and she is expecting a fight to the end.
“Every year is a new campaign, and we don’t take anything for granted, but I feel as though it would have been a disappointing year had we not reached the semi-final stages and ultimately the prospect of getting back to Croke Park,” she said.
“At a semi-final stage, we know we’re going to be playing a hard opposition, so I don’t mind who we come up against. We know Limerick are a competitive, physical side and having played them twice last year, there will be a lot of familiarity.
“It will come down to whatever team performs their best on the day. However. I am hoping that the hurt from last year will drive us on to ultimate success.
“I am looking forward to the game, we know we’re up against a tough opposition, but we are up to the challenge. It’s also nice to get playing in a county ground,” she added of the Longford venue.
Fermanagh have reached this juncture once again without the 2019 Junior Players’ Player of the Year Eimear Smyth and have seen other players step up to the plate to keep hopes of
All-Ireland silverware and, more importantly, promotion alive.
“At this point of the year, we have the same record as last year having reached the league semi-final, Ulster final and the All-Ireland semi-final,” Bogue said.
“The returning players have added experience, composure and ability to the panel with the likes Courteney Murphy, the Maguire sisters, Róisín O’Reilly and Aisling Maguire.
“However, in the absence of a player of the calibre of Eimear Smyth, with her proven class and scoring prowess, has undoubtedly blunted our scoring threats and required a restructure to our forward play,” added the junior championship’s second top-scorer (1-18 from three games).
After losing the Ulster final to Down, it was important to get back to winning ways and focus on the All-Ireland campaign and they did just that, reaching the last four by finishing top of their group with three wins from three.
Those games, Bogue feels, will stand to them as they get down to knock-out football but they must also raise the standard if they are to emerge triumphant on Saturday.
“We were disappointed to have lost to Down in the Ulster final. We probably felt as a team that we could have performed better towards the end of the game and that is something we have worked on since then.
“Having said that, we had tough encounters from all three teams in the group stages, Carlow, London and Derry. We feel that collectively a bigger performance will be required on Saturday to progress to the final.”
