Reaching final defied expectations
HIGHFIELD REACTION
By Daire Walsh
IT PROVED to be a tough afternoon for Highfield at Templeville Road on Saturday, as they suffered a 27-0 reversal against Railway Union in the Women’s All-Ireland Cup Final.
Speaking after the game, Highfield coach Wayne Falvey was understandably disappointed with the eventual outcome of the contest, but did praise his young side for defying expectations and reaching a fourth decider in succession.
“It was kind of disappointing I suppose. We didn’t really perform in today’s game compared to the quarter-final and the semi-final. Railway came out all guns blazing. They had a lot of pace out of the back line, had a nice off-loading game. Going into the first half, we were playing into a very strong wind. They went in at half-time 15-0. They gave themselves a nice sort of cushion,” Falvey stated.
“Credit to the girls, I don’t think anyone would have thought we’d get this far at cup stage this year given the transition of players moving on after last year. A lot of young girls there – 19, 20 – are still in college. All this experience will stand to them in the long run.”
When you take the turnaround of players from last year into consideration, reaching the 2015 showpiece against the Sandymount club certainly represents a step in the right direction for Highfield.
Falvey feels that the club’s current structures will be of benefit to women’s rugby in Highfield and expects their recruits to provide a strong backbone to the team.
“After the turnaround of players from last year, people wouldn’t have thought we’d get so far. The women’s team did excellent this year as well. The structures are there in the club for the future.”