By Niall Gartland

TYRONE’S run to an All-Ireland Minor Ladies final has almost come as a by-product of the high standards implemented by manager Feargal Quinn, who acknowledges that they wouldn’t have reached this point without the application of his players.

Quinn, who played on the Moortown team that won the Tyrone Senior Championship back in 1992, wanted to ensure the smoothest possible pathway to the U20 and senior ranks for girls in the early stages of their intercounty careers, and that meant trawling the length and breadth of the county for promising young talent.

Now, after embarking on a successful run through Ulster and beyond, they stand on the cusp of All-Ireland honours at ‘B’ level, with Kerry standing in the way of the title this Saturday at Offaly venue Tullamore.

“Whenever myself, Gerry [Moane] and Barry [Grimes] sat down and talked about setting the foundations to prepare the girls to play senior football, we decided that we wanted training to be of a senior level – all the stats and GPS work, improving the strength and conditioning, and all that comes with it. The girls bought into it, and to get to this juncture is a bonus.

“The attitude of the girls has been absolutely brilliant. We started off with 106 girls, I think, and that was brought down to 38, with a few more lost through injuries and things like that.

“The girls have really, really bought into it. I thought maybe it could be overload at times, but everything we brought to the table, they were able to handle. They’ve taken everything on board, and they’ve been brilliant.”

Quinn has assembled a high-powered managerial team who will ensure that no stone is left unturned in their preparations for the big day.

“The people we’ve put in place came from the mindset that we’re preparing the girls for senior football, and a big part of that is the strength and conditioning side of things.

Conditioning

“We have Rhiannon Quinn, who has been massive in that S&C area. The work she does – the agility work, the speed work, everything she brings – has been huge.

“You have Damian Corrigan, who probably doesn’t get enough recognition for what he does, especially with all the GPS work and the detail that goes into it. Sean O’Neill is one of the top goalkeeping coaches around. Joanne [Barret] is county player herself, and Karen Crozier from my own club has been almost like the mammy of the group – the girls really respect her and the work that she does.

He added: “You can go back to Gerry and Barry as well. For me, Barry is up there with the best coaches that I’ve ever worked with – if not the very best. I learn something from Gerry every week. The way he conducts himself and the way he sets the tone – when the tone of his voice changes, you can see the reaction from the players. That’s the impact he has.”

Opponents Kerry are also in the midst of preparations for an All-Ireland final at senior level, so there’s obviously a wealth of talent within the county. But it’s a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained from a Tyrone perspective.

“Kerry have been developing teams over the years, producing three or four minors every year who progress into their senior team. We’ve done our homework and they’re a very good side. I said Tyrone would have to be at their best to reach the final, and that’s what we’ve done. Kerry will probably be favourites, but we’ve prepared really, really well. We’ve turned up on the day and, with the help of God, we’ll get over the line on the 25th.”