HE memory of losing the previous two Junior Championship finals spurred Mayobridge on to a dominant display against Loughinisland in the Down Ladies Gaelic Football Association Junior decider on Saturday.
That is the opinion of manager Ronan Magee following his side’s win over Loughinisland, by 4-13 to 0-4. Last year Mayobridge lost the Junior final to Teconnaught, 4-10 to 0-10, two years ago it was Warrenpoint who triumphed (0-19 to 0-5).
Manager Ronan Magee explained that those results had hung over the team all year.
“I think that the hurt from getting beaten in the last two years was a major factor.
“We talked about last year all week. To be honest, it has been talked about for the majority of the year, that the girls didn’t turn up for the past two years.
“The girls wanted to put that right this year.”
Mayobridge’s performance in the final was a counter to the previous two finals.
On this occasion, it was they that put up a big score, rather than suffering a large margin defeat as they did in 2024 and 2025.
Ronan said: “When we left Mayobridge on Saturday we said we were going to give it everything.
“We said we were going to leave everything on that pitch.”
Ronan explained their game plan leading into the final.
“Loughinisland played Liatroim the week before in the semi-final. The scoreline was 5-10 to 3-8 to Loughinisland. We played Clann na Banna and we beat them convincingly.
“I don’t think that that was a reflection on Clann na Banna. We just had one of those good days.
“But I knew after watching the Liatroim-Loughinisland game, that if our forwards could play to the potential that they showed in Clann na Banna, and if our defenders could have the game of their lives and try and stop Loughinisland’s forwards, that we always had a chance of winning the game. That is the way that it turned out.
“Our forwards turned up and were brilliant, and our defenders kept Loughinisland to four points in 60 minutes of football.”
He added that the defence was fantastic.
“The intensity they took was unbelievable. “It still has not registered that we kept a team to four points.
“It wasn’t just the six defenders. The midfielders worked their socks off, the forwards worked their socks off.
“Any time the ball did come up the field to the Loughinisland forwards, our girls were hungry for it.”
