CLONDUFF joint-manager Alastair McGilligan agreed that the Down and Ulster champions were the better team following their win over James Stephens in the AIB All-Ireland Intermediate Club Camogie Championship at Croke Park on Saturday.
While he admitted the experience of winning the competition before stood to them, he believed the pressure was still on to deliver on the day - which they did.
“I have to give all the girls a lot of credit. While the experience of being here in 2019 helped us, I think that our team performance today was much better than back then," McGilligan said.
“We were a little annoyed at the break that they were back level with us. Not because of the goal that went in. Those things happen. We were more annoyed with the amount of ball we played straight down on their sweeper.”
The former Dunloy hurler said they used half-time to reset.
“We wanted them to go out in the second half and play more diagonal ball to take the sweeper out of the game. We maybe didn’t get the number of scores we thought we deserved from that, but we got enough to win.
“It was important to open up a gap and put the pressure on James Stephens.
“I am really pleased with our work-rate. Isabella (O’Hare) and (his daughter) Claire worked very well at midfield.
“Isabella’s point was a surprise. I don’t think she has scored right through the championship and then she picked Croke Park to do it. Our midfielders don’t have to score to play well though.”
O'Hare and hardworking defender Katie Morgan added insurance points to stretch the final winning margin to three point, but Morgan didn’t think her injury time effort was going over the bar as she was more concerned with clearing her lines.
“No, I didn’t. I just wanted to get the ball up the field as far as I could and then a gap opened up and I just went for it.
“It is such a buzz for all the defenders when Sara Louise puts up her hand and pulls the ball out of the air. That usually is enough for the defenders so we just get the clearance up to her.”
However the tenacious defender agreed that the whole team had risen their performance this year.
“It is a team sport. You obviously play to your strengths and Paula, Sara Louise are big positives up front. They can make things happen. But there are a lot of us who have really come on over the last while and the semi-final last week helped too. We got a lot of confidence from coming through that.”
The late free of O’Dwyer’s that flashed over the bar was Morgan’s only period of concern.
“I was really scared at that point. You feel you are in control and then a goal could have gone in and it was back anyone’s game again.
“No I was just relieved to see it go over. Once that happened I felt that we would hold out.”
