THE OVER-RIDING emotion among the Down ladies footballers ahead of their All-Ireland Intermediate Championship semi-final is excitement rather than nerves.
For many of the team, this will be their first ever Intermediate All-Ireland semi-final experience. But Meghan Doherty, the Down captain, told the Mourne Observer this week in the run up to Sunday’s clash with Tyrone, that the players are feeling very positive.
She said, “All matches come with pressure but we are feeling excitement more than anything.
“It is so great for the young girls to get this far. I think everyone is taking the week as it is and we are trying not to let the pressure build up too much.”
Meghan accepted that there would be nerves leading up to the semi-final. However, the Down ladies know how to deal with that pressure.
“Nerves are normal. They are a good thing to have. There will be a rush of a million different emotions going through players’ heads this week but it is just another match. There is nothing you can or can’t do differently than what you have been doing. You just have to take it in your stride and try to take the positives and look at it as a positive.
“Players will be nervous and girls probably deal with nerves in different ways, but it’s best to just use a normal routine for the week at training.”
Meghan has not played in an All-Ireland intermediate semi-final since 2014. All campaigns since then, bar those in which they won the All-Ireland Junior titles, ended at the quarter-final stages.
But the county took the step into the unfamiliar following their All-Ireland quarter-final win over Monaghan just over a week ago.
Meghan said, “At the final whistle it was great knowing that we have got one step further. It is a great achievement to have come up from junior last year and then get to an intermediate semi-final.
“The girls are excited. The families are excited. All the clubs and supporters are getting behind us which is great and everyone is proud.”
In the full article Meghan explains the important lessons the team learned when playing Monaghan for a second time.