"Cavan's belief never wavered"

Cavan full-back Rosie Crowe-McKeever believes her side's unity and growing belief were the key factors behind their stunning second-half comeback against Roscommon, a victory that secured five wins from five and top spot in the All-Ireland Premier Junior Championship group.

Trailing by 11 points at the interval, Cavan looked to be heading for their first defeat of the campaign before producing a remarkable turnaround to book a semi-final meeting with Kildare.

Crowe-McKeever admitted the opening half was one to forget but said the players never panicked. "We were a little bit deflated at half-time," she said. "The wind was unbelievable. That's no excuse, but I don't think we realised just how much it was affecting us. Our puck-outs weren't working and we just couldn't get any momentum.”

"I think there were a few nerves as well. Roscommon moved a lot of players around and we probably lost our shape a bit. Thankfully we settled ourselves at half-time. We had a good chat and we knew in camogie you can keep chipping away at a lead. We knew if we kept picking off scores we'd work our way back into it."

The momentum swung rapidly after the restart as Cavan reeled off the opening scores before taking complete control around the middle third.

"We just kept tipping away at it," she said. "Eimear came on and made a massive difference. She kept breaking the ball from their puck-outs and winning possession. You could actually see Roscommon's body language changing. We were talking to each other constantly in the second half. In the first half we were very quiet and when they got a couple of goals our heads dropped. After the break we just kept encouraging each other and then the goals came."

The experienced defender believes competition for places has been a major factor in Cavan's impressive run, with a number of younger players continuing to make their mark.

"At the start of the year our panel was quite small, but now we've a brilliant panel and nobody knows who's going to be starting. That's a great position to be in because everyone is pushing each other on. The young girls are mighty. Aela (O’Sullivan) got another goal today and her confidence will be sky high now. Hannah is another one who doesn't always get the credit because she's doing so much work around midfield. They just needed a bit of belief and encouragement."

While delighted to finish top of the group, the Lacken star insists Cavan's focus quickly turns to the semi-final.

"It's brilliant to finish top, but there's nothing won yet. The semi-final is going to be a huge game and everybody knows they'll have to be at their best."

For Crowe-McKeever, who has experienced both the difficult years and the recent resurgence of Cavan camogie, reaching this stage makes the journey all the more rewarding.

"I've been around a long time and I remember the days when we were taking heavy beatings and there might only have been Mammy and Daddy in the stand watching us. When Philip (Brady) gave me the call to come back I even asked him, 'Am I good enough?' He just laughed and said, 'Of course you are.' I cherish every minute of it. Last year I was sitting at home watching the All-Ireland final on television thinking what I'd give to be out there. Now we're only two games away. I'm just honoured to be part of it."