Kilclief 2pm Sunday 15th August 2004

When it comes to it, a few months down the line after a big championship final you can often be hard pressed to remember the beaten finalists...as for the losing semi-finalists...well you can forget about them because you probably already have!

Getting to a final of any competition is a great achievement, no matter the competition, no matter the sport. If you lose the 'big one' well, it may be of little comfort, but at least you got there...but to lose a semi-final can often be harder. All that preparation, the training, the challenge matches, getting through a few rounds of the competition for what...NOTHING! You may as well have been put out at the first round!

It takes a massive effort to overcome your opposition at the semi-final stage...it really is do or die stuff! And that's the message Down Manager Bernie McNally has been getting through to her charges as Down prepare to meet Roscommon in this Sunday's All-Ireland Junior Championship semi-final at Kilclief (throw-in 2pm).

Down, by virtue of their league win against Roscommon earlier in the year, have been installed as favourites but as McNally points out when it comes to the Championship, league form counts for nothing. "The favourites tag is very nice but we can't afford to dwell on past results. Yes it was a good result for us, especially away from home but that was some months ago. Since then both teams have moved on. Roscommon have beaten Galway, who are the reigning All-Ireland Junior Champions, to claim the Connacht title while we turned Ulster on its proverbial head and won the Championship by beating Armagh, the Ulster Champions in 2003, Tyrone and Derry, who were many peoples favourites to actually go all the way to the final in Croke Park this year. It's the way we played, and the commitment shown to win the Ulster Championship that matters. And we’ve got to raise our game even further against Roscommon. That’s what I’ve been telling the girls since the Ulster final. We’ve got to do what it takes to make it to Croke Park in September. There are no second chances in this game.”

On the Armagh Championship game, it’s interesting to note that Armagh’s Joan Murphy, who Captained Crossmaglen to the All-Ireland Junior Club Championship title in 2003, recently described Down’s performance against the Orchard County as: “Awesome…just unbelievable. There was no stopping them.” High praise indeed!

This is Down’s first All-Ireland Junior Championship semi-final appearance since 1991 when Down won the All-Ireland title. Since then, the County’s Camogie path has been well punctuated with success, culminating in the double All-Ireland win of the National League and All-Ireland Intermediate Championship titles, both against Cork in Cork, in 1998, and a Senior Championship semi-final appearance (the County’s first since 1948) against Tipperary in 1999.

Fortunes changed somewhat from 2000 forcing a regrading of the County but this has probably been the County’s saving grace, as McNally agrees. “I think it was unfortunate for Down that after 1999 quite a few players hung up their County shirts for the last time. This forced the County into a rebuilding process and after really struggling for a few years at Senior level I think it was generally acknowledged that Down’s best way forward was to regrade back to Junior level where players new to Inter-county Camogie could find their feet more easily.”

And McNally’s not complaining. “No, I have to admit, having eight players from that 1998 squad in the present team is a great asset. These were the ‘young guns’ of the ’98 team and now they find themselves being called the ‘veterans’ when only one of them is over 30! They all have plenty of experience of inter-county Camogie but more importantly, they know what it’s like to win at the highest level and the effort it takes. And that has been so important in the lead up to this game.”

Down’s preparations have been going well in the last few weeks and with a full squad available competition for places is at a premium. Regular challenge matches against minor hurling Club teams since the Ulster final have helped skill and fitness levels enormously while a comprehensive win last week against Armagh in the semi-final of the Ulster Senior Championship has boosted confidence ahead of the Roscommon game.

Bernie McNally though is well aware that it will not be the same Roscommon league team that Down face this time around. “We saw Roscommon beat Galway in the Connacht final and they certainly had improved since our league encounter. We know they had a few problems going into that game but they seemed to have those sorted. They definitely looked a better-organised outfit. But then again we also feel we’re a much improved side since the two teams last met. We’ve had an excellent Championship run to date, scoring 12-50 (86pts) in our three games while only conceding 5-12 (27pts) but as I said earlier, we have to repeat, if not better that form to get past Roscommon and make it to Croke Park in September, and I know Down have the players who can do just that.”

Paul Welsh
Fairplay sport and leisure
PEIL one sport one passion
E-mail: info@fairplay.ie
Web: www.fairplay.ie