Cornafean begin Ulster adventure at home

Damian McCarney

The intensity at training around Páirc Naomh Fionnán speaks volumes for how Cornafean Ladies are approaching their debut Ulster Intermediate Championship.

After an historic championship campaign, Declan Beard and his team are now eying up the a provincial championship run. First up is the arrival of Moortown St Malachy’s to Cornafean this Sunday afternoon. The prospect of welcoming the Tyrone Intermediate double winners hadn’t crossed Declan’s mind back in early spring when they were setting targets for the year. At that stage they had never even reached an Intermediate semi-final before.

Declan has got used to the happy task of repeatedly revising targets in this unforgettable year. He assures his team are focussed for Moortown.

“The whole aim at the start was to get beyond the quarterfinals - we’ve done that. To win any championship you are going to be on a massive high afterwards. Your provincial campaign then is very much a decision you are going to have to make as a group - whether it’s something that you are really going to give it a go?

“I’ve had this conversation with the girls at our first training session back after the final, to see what way they were thinking. That’s how I put it to them: is it something that we want to go for? Is it something we want to go and achieve or are we the type of group who is happy with what we have done so far this year, and throw in the towel in that case.

“The way trainings have gone - everything has been really positive and everything has been really focussed. I’m really looking forward to this weekend coming because I think the girls are in a determined state of mind of, yeah, we have won the Intermediate here in Cavan, but we are going to give this Ulster Championship a rattle.”

The story of Cornafean has been goals at crucial times getting them across the line.

They scored four goals in the semifinal and repeated the feat again in the final to overcoming Cavan Gaels and St Finbarrs respectively.

“With the forwards we have, we are very lucky,” he says. “Between the two McCaffreys [Deirbhile and Niamh], and Aimee McIntyre, just to name three of them. If you have any good forwards and they gave an eye for goal - go for it!"

Having been drawn in a difficult group in the championship, he feels his side have been well tested. They only overcame Bailieborough by the narrowest of margins to secure a quarterfinal berth in their final group game.

He volunteers that that game “definitely tested our girls’ mental strength”.

“To come out with the one point win that day was a massive achievement. From a manager’s point of view: teams can lose games in the last five or six minutes if you are under pressure and you are not mentally strong enough - those are the sort of games you lose, but for us to win that game was a massive bonus for us going into the quarterfinals.”

They will likely need to rely on that mental strength when they host Moortown this weekend. The Tyrone team added the Intermediate League title last weekend to their Intermediate title won a fortnight earlier.

While Declan notes Moortown’s potent forwards and strong free taker, he’s determined his primary focus is on what Cornafean will bring to the game.

“As long as we an improve on what we are doing – improve how we are defensively set up, how we are attacking – if we can improve on those then it will go a long way to winning matches for us. “

Declan is pleased to have home advantage in this Ulster campaign opener, and that they are not “travelling into the unknown”. He expects vocal support from the Cornafean faithful.

“After a successful championship campaign, to have your first home game as an Ulster Championship match is massive for the girls, and it’s massive for the area and massive for their supporters who will hopefully come in numbers and back the girls 100% on the day.”