LGFA: TG4 INTERMEDIATE CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI FINAL – POST-MATCH REACTION
We Fought To The Very End – Daniel Moynihan
By Daire Walsh
KILDARE Ladies Football Manager, Daniel Moynihan, praised the spirit of his side despite their exit to Westmeath at the semi-final stage of the All-Ireland ladies intermediate football championship at Parnell Park on Sunday afternoon.
Regarded as underdogs for this last-four affair, the Lilywhites were well in contention for a first final appearance since 2016 until Anna Jones got the finishing touches to a long ball for Westmeath’s third goal on 56 minutes. Having conceded early goals to Sarah Dillon and Lucy McCartan, Moynihan’s charges subsequently ratcheted up the pressure on their provincial rivals in a manner that makes the Galway native extremely hopeful for the future of his adopted county.
“We fought to the very end. This [Westmeath] is a Division One team, that have been Division One for a number of years. Everybody within and outside of Kildare didn’t really give us a single chance. What we did was, we pushed a Division One team nearly to the breaking point,” Moynihan remarked after the game.
“For me, it’s the positives we take from it. The average age of the team. The players that have come in and made their debuts this year and last year. The healthiness of the squad is just where it needs to be right now, so Kildare are not finished.”
Since winning the second-tier national title five years ago, there has been a significant changing of the guard within the Kildare squad. Erica Burke, Shauna Kendrick and team captain Grace Clifford were the only players in the starting line-up to feature on the panel for that success, which gives some sort of indication of the rebuilding job Moynihan has had to undertake in recent seasons.
From his perspective, the fact they found themselves at the business of this year’s intermediate championship speaks volumes for the tenacity of his outfit.
“I came in, in 2018, after there was relegation and no games won. A spate of players left the panel and it was in a bit of disarray. It took a process to try and build it back up again and I think we have. I said that to the girls, we’re into a semi-final for the first time since 2016,” Moynihan added.
“That’s through a lot of hard work to get to that level. It’s about pushing on from here on in and ensuring you’re a top-four team in intermediate and pushing for that All-Ireland series. Which is within this group because of the age profile.”