Crosserlough’s internal focus ahead of Ulster showdown

By Michael McMullan

CROSSERLOUGH have eyes on their own game as they step into Ulster again.

It’s their first foray out of Cavan in three years, having their three-in-a-row hopes dashed by Denn in the 2024 decider.

They face preliminary winners Loughgiel in the Ulster Junior A semi-final this weekend.

“We just have to get the heads down and focus,” said captain Ciara Finnegan.

There was no point in delving too much into who they were going to playing. The beauty of Ulster is the freshness that it brings.

“We’ve competed a number of years in Ulster and something that we actually look forward to, not knowing who you’re going up against or how they play,” Finnegan added.

“We like not knowing the tendencies of the girl you’re marking, that you have to figure it out on the day, that you have to go after them on the day.

“The preparation is so focused on yourself, that it’s something that we look for.”

Crosserlough won the league and all their championship group games but felt they were underdogs in the final against Lacken, who had knocked them out the previous year.

“They were tough games, there weren’t any easy wins,” Finnegan said of their pathway out of Cavan.

“You work for every score you got and I think that stood to us in the final, that hard work that came through. It’s a championship that we definitely had to work harder for than previous years.”

Relief was Finnegan’s word of choice when casting her eyes over they fina. Their three goals set Crosserlough on the way to victory over Lacken.

“I know we won by a couple of scores but there was never a moment where you thought, this game’s won,” she recalls.

Pride

“When that final whistle went, it was a relief. We always pride ourselves thinking that we’re going out every year and that we’d win this championship in Cavan.

“When we haven’t won it in the last two years, it was relief for this year that we did win it.”

In her 12th season of senior camogie, Finnegan savoured the days after their latest win in Cavan.

Walking up the following morning was special, content in that realisation they were county champions. Relief then turns to a combination of pride and joy.

There is also the contentment of being surrounded by a group who back each other in both the good and bad days.

“In the last two years, we didn’t win the championship, they were definitely two disappointing years for us, but not one of us turned our back,” Finnegan said.

“We came closer together, we put the head down together and we trained extremely hard.

“There are the laughs and the giggles that go alongside it. We’ve done plenty of different bonding activities where people are just mad to have the craic together.”

Outside of camogie, the Crosserlough camogie group are one big circle of friends. They will hope their latest voyage into Ulster is only starting.