Treanor: 'We want to be top of the tree'

By Maitiu Monaghan

Truagh manager Anthony Treanor was crystal clear in his messaging after leading the Gaels to Ulster Intermediate glory on Sunday.

Stood in the middle of a massive huddle, players, coaches, backroom team, Treanor's smile mirrors that on all the players around him.

"We are Ulster Intermediate Champions," he dead pans, much to the delight of the crowd gathered around him.

They've just come through an epic final against Naomh Colomba in Killyclogher. In her acceptance speech, captain Eve McKenna said it was Truagh's "toughest game since.... well, ever."

The Celt caught up with Treanor when the first wave of celebrations are beginning to die down.

"How am I feeling?" he begins, repeating our question. "You can’t put it into words, I have to say. It’s an unbelievable experience, an unbelievable feeling within the group.

"The girls have put in a huge effort from January for this season. Eve mentioned it in her acceptance speech that we sat down and said we wanted this year to be a special year, a really special year, and it’s come that far now, for now.

"I can’t put it into words. It’s just lots of emotion, joy, but delight for the girls, more importantly for the players. The players are what it’s all about. We set up cones and move people around and stuff like that, but really and truly, it’s all about the players," Treanor added.

What does Treanor mean by "for now"? Are they dreaming of All-Ireland glory in north Monaghan?

"Well, they’re a very driven bunch, and that’s the way we’ve looked at it all year- it’s literally: we move on to the next competition.

"The next competition is actually a league semi-final on Sunday against Latton. We still have to finish the Monaghan league yet, so that’s next Sunday. That’s the next competition.

"We treat it like that. We look at it in that way. We deal with each game as it comes, and all those clichés are great. We use them because they want to be successful. They want to be at the top of the tree, they really do.

"And look, they deserve it. If they continue with that focus, who knows where it’ll end?"

There's no denying the spirit and the hunger within the Truagh panel. Early on in Sunday's final it looked like Morgan McKenna may have to come off injured. Somehow she carried on, and finished with 1-8 to her name.

"That was heart-in-the-mouth stuff," Treanor recalls. "It was actually two of our own players that clashed into each other, which isn't ideal.

"But look, they were always going to battle on. They were never going to stop. We’d spoken to both of them and said, 'Maybe we’ll give you a rest or take you out?'

"They’re all the same: 'You can take anybody off except me.'

“That’s the way they are. When they’re in, they want to stay in forever.

"It’s not just the players that are on the pitch. It’s everybody, every single player, whether they’ve got into the game or whether they haven’t, played or not played. Every one of them is the same.

"We’re confident in the ability of every player. We’re confident in every player we have that can come in and do a job. There’s no question of that."