All-Ireland run is so special says Knockbride manager

By Niall Gartland

DAYS like these don’t come around too often for small, rural clubs like Knockbride – if ever.

An All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies final at Croke Park is pencilled in for this Saturday afternoon, an occasion of such magnitude that it pretty much speaks for itself.

In saying that, their manager Ciaran Galligan makes a really good fist of expressing just how much this means to a club riding the crest of a wave after their recent county and provincial successes. Three is the magic number though, so here’s hoping they can go out and finish the job against Galway side Caltra.

“We’re a small rural family with five sets of sisters within the panel. My own daughter is involved.

“So there’s a strong family base and it’s been an interesting journey to this point.

“Going back 20 years ago, the club was more or less east Cavan, but then a lot of other clubs – Killinkere, Laragh, Kingscourt and Bailieborough – set up their own ladies teams.

“We had to regroup and work with the numbers within our own parish, and it’s a credit to all our girls that we’re at this point – it certainly didn’t happen overnight.”

He continued: “The whole place is buzzing and I see the biggest excitement of all in the school kids. We see them going up to our girls looking autographs which is fantastic to see. All of the local kids – not just from Knockbride but from surrounding areas as well – are looking up to our girls and thinking ‘wow, what an achievement.’ Hopefully it will encourage the next generation of kids to be just as dedicated, and to realise that with a lot of effort, they can achieve similar things.”

So what about that low-scoring All-Ireland semi-final win over Cork side Naomh Ában? A 0-4 to 0-3 scoreline suggests a dire encounter, though Galligan explains the minutiae of a contest bereft of much in the way of free-flowing football.

“In some respects it was certainly an unusual game of football. Both teams were so similar that a lot of our respective strengths cancelled each other out.

“The middle-eight players on both teams were so athletic, that they were able to keep up with each other, but I think we had that extra wee bit of quality up front and that was the winning of the game.

“Before that game, we’d put up some very good tallies, but Naomh Ában dropped back their half-forward line and we decided to hold our half-back line in place.

“It was very difficult for either team to find space, and we did really well to get two decisive points in the second half. Our defence was really disciplined as well.

“In saying that, hopefully the final will be a more open game and both sets of forwards will have better chances.”

Knockbride have some incredibly promising younger players coming through the ranks, including Ellie Reilly, who landed the winning score in the All-Ireland semi-final. Allied to an experienced batch backboning the team and Knockbride have found themselves on the biggest stage of all.

“We’ve a unique set of teenagers, they’ve won All-Irelands with Bailieboro Community School and with Cavan at u-16 and u-18 Level.

“There’s Ellie and Katie Mai Reilly, who are daughters of Peter Reilly, who is our coach and played for Cavan. There’s Abby Reilly, a cousin, who is out injured – she’s a daughter of Larry Reilly.

“Gia McCabe is a daughter of Carmel McCabe, who played for Cavan ladies for years, and Aoife Rogers, daughter of Joanne McNally, another former Cavan player. So there’s a lot of pedigree there.”

He continued: “The main thing though, is that there’s been a really solid base for that talent to come into. If all those girls were arriving at once, I don’t think we’d have achieved what we’ve achieved, but we’ve a really good set of experienced players, including a few county players. It means those kids can be mentored and coached and that’s been evident in their performances on the big stage.”

Adding to the sense of anticipation is the fact that the game is being staged at Croke Park. Galligan makes the point that they’re receiving strong backing from the wider Cavan community.

“I think it’s great credit to the LGFA that the game is in Croke Park. Our semi-final was at home in Knockbride, and there must’ve been about 1500 at the game.

“The ladies game in Cavan is very strong. We have a strong club championship with great crowds, and to have a home game in an All-Ireland semi-final was very special.

“To get to Croke Park isn’t just special for this community, but for the wider Cavan cohort. It’s very special and I think the girls will really embrace it. It’s a brilliant opportunity and I suppose part of the challenge will be to keep a lid on the excitement, to get out there and play the way we have played in the last couple of months.”

Standing in their way of the ultimate prize is Galway side Caltra, who booked their spot in the final with a pulsating victory over St Fechin’s. They’re a strong dual club and reached last year’s All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie final, falling short on the day, so they’ll no doubt be determined to make amends this weekend.

Asked for his take on Caltra, Galligan said: “It’s a great how the ladies game has grown nationally that every game is now streamed.

“It’s good and bad news in a way – we get to see all their games, and they get to see ours. It’s up to both teams to do their homework and get as well set up as possible.

“We know how strong they are, they have a strong ladies and camogie background with a strong contingent who played in last year’s All-Ireland camogie final. They have a wealth of experience and we know that, but both sets of management will do their studies and hopefully we get our match-ups right on the day.”