DOWNINGS ladies manager Barney Curran feels that the side are into bonus territory but they will leave no stone unturned as they look towards today’s Ulster Junior final.
Downings meet Warrenpoint club St Peter’s in the final, who have come through Ulster in a similar vein as the Mevagh side, winning by a point in their opening game and then by four in their semi-final against Aughnamullen.
Curran has been trying to get information on their opponents and knows a bit about them, but he will be focused on his own side first and foremost.
“I know they have two good midfielders and they’re very mobile up the pitch, their centre half-forward scored six points in the semi-final and is very good, they’re averaging 17-18 points a game, they’re not getting many goals so hopefully we can get a few ourselves and maybe force them to come out.
“We can catch teams out on the break because they’re quick so hopefully we can get them out to play a bit and we can get in behind them.
“But it’s an Ulster final, it’s about who wants it the most and we’ll give it everything to try and get over the line.”
Prior commitments meant Downings were without captain Sinead McBride in their semi-final win over Eoghan Rua but she is back for today’s game.
Their main worry is the fitness of one of their star players in Aoibhinn O’Connell, who was stretchered off in added time.
“Aoibhinn still has to go through a fitness test, she hasn’t trained much and we’ll examine her over the next few nights. It’s probably 50/50 if she makes it or not which could be a huge loss because she has been a driving force all year and she’s really coming into herself.
“But the rest of the team are fighting for positions and there might be the odd tear on Saturday when the team is picked but that’s good to have, we have 20-22 players fighting for places.”
It’s a first year in charge for Curran as he took over from Seamus McLaughlin and his backroom team consists of Dominic McGroddy, Charlie and John Coyle, Eimear McGeever and Paul Coyle.
He has plenty of experience in the ladies game however as coach with the Donegal minor ladies, while he currently manages the ATU Donegal ladies team.
And he has felt this side have been building towards winning the Donegal Junior title for years.
“The girls had been unlucky in Donegal, they met Gaoth Dobhair one year who went on to win it, they met Dungloe two years, once in the semi-final and then in the final so they have been knocking about the Junior Championship for the last few years and they were really hungry to get out of it this year.
“They’re training really hard, three times a week since February and we didn’t look past Donegal but now we are out of it then we’re in bonus territory and you take it game by game.
“Ulster is a different animal and you don’t know what you’re coming up against at times, you try and get a bit of knowledge.
“But in Donegal we got over the line some days at a canter and that’s always a danger when you go into Ulster.”
It was a 5-4 to 2-10 in their quarter-final win over Butlersbridge, while a one point home win in the semi-final was a performance where the win had to be grinded out.
“The game in Downings, the Coleraine outfit were by far the better team in the first half and we were lucky to go in at half-time with the goal (advantage).
“But I always say the harder you work, the luckier you get and that’s not by chance.
“We made them work very hard for scores and we got the goal at the right time which gave the girls confidence.
“I could see it that morning when I landed that there were nerves, you could see the whites of the eyes and I think playing away from home will help us a bit. We headed away to Cavan and they were laughing on the bus and a bit more relaxed.
“But they played well and they really put their body on the line and I hadn’t seen that all year.”
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