Captain Owens honoured to lead Tyrone minor ladies out on All-Ireland final day

By Niall Gartland

BERAGH’S Keeva Owens will have the honour of leading out the Tyrone Minor girls team in Saturday’s All-Ireland ‘B’ final against Kerry at Tullamore, one of the foremost venues anywhere in the country.

It’s undoubtedly a proud moment for Keeva, as well as her family and wider community, but she’s also mindful that cool heads are required with national silverware up for grabs.

“I’m really excited, it’s definitely a big occasion but we have to play it like a normal game. We have to try to be relaxed leading up to the game, but for sure it’s going to be a proud moment for me to lead the team out.”

The team captain was among the stars of their All-Ireland semi-final victory over Sligo nearly a fortnight ago, a game that ended a long two-month wait since their Ulster final win over Cavan. While the club scene kept them occupied, Owens says that a challenge match against Armagh helped get them back up to the pitch of the county game.

“It was a long break since the Ulster final and everyone went back to their clubs. Everyone’s really tuned in again.

“We played Armagh in a friendly a couple of weeks before the Sligo game and I think we really needed that to get back to a county standard again. We played well against Sligo and hopefully we can build that.”

Owens grew up inspired by the likes of her Beragh colleague Jayne Lyons, a highly dependable corner-back on the Tyrone senior ladies team. The natural aspiration was to carve out a county career and she’s certainly made a name for herself as one of the brightest underage talents within Tyrone.

“Watching Jayne progress into the Tyrone seniors was inspiring, and that’s where girls like myself want to be ultimately. I’ve worked my way up through Beragh and I’ve always watched and followed the Tyrone ladies as well, so it’s good to have that ambition.”

She also hopes that supporters will travel in numbers to the midlands this Saturday to witness their All-Ireland showdown with the Kingdom. It’s a huge match in the lives of this young team and they’ll be hoping to go out and finish the job after such a memorable run to the final.

“There’s brilliant facilities in Tullamore, I’ve been there a few times with the family.

“It’s going to be a great occasion, I know it’s a bit of a journey but I hope there’ll be a good support there to cheer us on.”