Hear from Hannah Tyrrell, Paul Casey, Eilish O’Dowd, Nicole Owens, Martha Byrne & former Dublin goalkeeper Ciara Trant as OTB’S Scarlett Herron & Stephen Gleeson bring you ALL of the reaction from Croke Park as Dublin claimed senior glory with a win over Meath on a scoreline of 2-16 to 0-10!
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Kira Trant, your thoughts here after a pulsating win for Dublin, you must be over the moon because uh like it’s your team. Yeah, quite emotional and I saw a few of the girls and a few of the management there and just when you have a personal collection with a team and you know people’s stories and how much they put in and the personality and you know how even the buildup the past two weeks to the match emotionally everything they have put in. It’s just kind of like feel proud of them, happy for them, but also like very very relieved for them. um been there kind of the the winning and the losing and just to see them get over the line and just how much it will mean for them and knowing what the celebrations will be over next couple of days or big things planned in Dublin. So I’m I’m just I’m delighted for them. The time, effort, energy that goes into this like it’s a huge release of emotion today. When does something like this, you know, sit in to your your thinking, sit into who you are and you go, I’m a champion? Um, I I I don’t think it really does sit with you. It kind of sits with everybody else. People identify with you as having done that and whatever. And you know, there’s sometimes that you kind of sit there and think, “God, I’ve done that.” But even now, like sometimes I think, God, what would it would it be like to win an allre final? And I have to check myself and like we’ve done I’ve done that. So, I think it’s nearly part of your nature that you’re you’re always kind of striving for something when you’re at such a high level. So it will sink in with the girls probably tomorrow. They all take a moment, a bit of a quiet time together, the following day or even into next week, but at the moment your priority is just to celebrate as hard and as fast as you can. Talking to the manager there afterwards, you know, you just got a sense of, you know, what has gone on behind the scenes to get to the levels and tactically the work that they had to do to overcome me today. And it just seemed like they attacked Meat’s strong points and, you know, built up this very, you know, big early lead that really helped them out in a big way as as Meat came more into it in the second half. Yeah, look, in a big game, a good start is really important. It settles you into the game. And, you know, the first few points or shots even Dublin took, they were going over the bar. Me weren’t going over the bar. And that’s a massive massive advantage to Dublin just to settle into the game, settle a few nerves was just chatting to a few the management team there and I forget who commented that Aloud said today we actually did what we were told to do. First time all year they did what they were told to do. They played the way they’ve been training to do and you know sometimes it takes those months to to get it right to really get it to to click into pace and thankfully it it did for the Dubs today. um they played the football that they they backed was going to beat me and after the second goal went in 22nd minute it did feel like there was no way back for me but uh they made a bit of a you know comeback the start of the second half but the mountain was uh too great for them Everest was out of sight yeah like it’s very very apprehensive to write me off after that second goal went in because football can change you really really quickly. 5 minutes spell it could be level again. H and me have the players and the ability to do that. But I just think that Dublin played football so well. You know, they used every inch of Crow Park, you know, like their wing forwards were sitting on the sidelines to create as much space as possible to enable them to play football. Whereas me just kept going down the middle. They they had no plan B. They tried to hit a few high balls into Vicky Wall in the first half that wasn’t really coming off. It kind of seemed like even me gave up a little bit. I think a few of their players were working to the end, but generally ah they they gave up a little bit and watching the side their management on the sideline even in the first half there seemed to be a bit of panic that this the match had gotten away from them. What do we do? We better do something now. But Dublin’s experience like the way Orland Nolan Caro controlled that game around the middle third was was immense. They got the right players on the ball and look nothing was getting through. Martha Burn, Leah Caffrey in that fullback line. Nothing. And so look, Dublin nailed it. They nailed their match up matchups as well. Ne Gloely had a quite game. Marian Farley came off the pitch back on again. Emma Dugen in the first half only scored from from points and Vicky Wall as well. So or Emma scored from Freeze. So um like Dublin won those little battles. M uh overall this season, you know, the best team, but uh a lot of teams are there and next year they’ll see what they can do and try and get to that level again. There’s coming teams in ladies football. It’s uh difficult, I suppose, to see the Dubs dominate again, or do you think they could go on a run and push two, three, four in a row together again? Uh I don’t know. Like last time Dublin went on a a run of winning all Ireland finals, they backed up the first win or we backed up the first win in 2017 with win the league the following year. H and that just gave us momentum and it kind of, you know, boosted probably our ego a little bit that we can win. We we can dominate, you know, we can keep improving and keep beating teams and winning being a habit. But I think this season compared to other seasons, it was a lot more even, a lot more open. you couldn’t really call who was going to win. You know, a couple of weeks ago, you wouldn’t have put Dublin and me in the final, but they got through. Um, and then you have the likes of Kildair and Tipperi that really kicked on this year, caused a few upsets. Lster is back competitive again. Monster competitive. We’ve um Terrone back up to senior now as well. Um, so that’d be good for Olter. So it’s a little bit more open across the board than it was back in 2017 2018 and even through Cork’s periods of dominance. I think the popularity of ladies football and how the game has come on has evened the playing field a little bit. Good stuff. Thanks K. No worries. Cheers Hannah. Another all Ireland tyran and a career now completed. Yeah. Yeah. Look, that’s the end, but what a privilege to be able to finish on a high with this special group. So, And yeah, no, look, I’m I’m lucky enough to have played for Dublin for so long with some amazing groups and uh yeah, no better feeling winning an all Ireland final day and close out your career the way I did. Not many get that choice. Yeah, what a way to finish and your teammates there giving you a lot of support throughout the game and yourself. Stellar performance. Obviously came off at the end there and you have the green whistle in hand even. Yeah. Yeah. No, look, obviously um it’s all about team today to be honest. Our backs I thought were absolutely phenomenal. gave us that platform to attack and our fast start was something we went after and you know and just we brought in intensity I think that maybe we hadn’t brought you know in earlier in the year and showed what we were actually capable of but look injuries are part of the game so I’ll get a scan see how it is but I’ll certainly enjoy a few days before that of course and we were talking about there you and Chenade sat outside on the pitch enjoying a beer on what was probably both your your last games for Dublin. Yeah. No, look, I can’t obviously talk for Chenade, but we go way back. We played uh under 14 together in 2003, and we’ve been in and out of this Dublin team since, you know, so it’s 20 plus careers of or 20 plus years of career playing for Dublin. And again, how privileged and lucky am I to get to play with a player of the caliber like her and then get to play for Dublin and finish like this. And you’ll celebrate the last one more than probably any of them. Yeah, to win one is incredibly special. 23 was a really special year, but uh to win two I don’t even know if you can dream of that. So, uh, yeah, we’ll we’ll have one or two tonight, I’m sure. Hi, Marta. Congratulations. How are you feeling after that? Yeah, like on Cloud9, I think I don’t think we all year we’ve probably been chasing a bit of a performance and it feels very sweet that we kind of managed to pull it together for the the final. Yeah, superb first half performance in particular there that set the tone that early goal just giving you the platform you needed. Yeah, like we had three targets to go after for the whole match and I think we just very much stuck to the process, didn’t think of the outcome and I think that’s kind of what helped us at the end of the day. Yeah, you worked really hard. Second goal arrived 22 minutes in and you know me just couldn’t get a grip in the game then. Yeah, to be fair, like they’re a team that never die. Like we even when the scores kept going over, we knew that they’d come back. So we knew we had to kept keep our own h scoreboard ticking over, but they were brilliant right to the end. Like they fought right till the end and that’s the team. That’s like the credit to the team that they are. Yeah. You’ve worked so hard for this. Like all the time that goes into it, all the effort, and it’s it must be really sweet today. Yeah. Like we’ve had 10 months of hard work and the work that the lads have put in for us has been phenomenal. So big shout out to Derek and Paul as well for bringing us all together. Yeah. What’s the buzz like there in the dressing room, the cup and all? I I yet have to go into it. So, I’m sure it’s phenomenal. So, I can’t wait to go in and have a good time with the girls. Were you out in the field there with family? Yeah, I was up in the stands. My mama, she’s 86 and she was up in one of the uh premium levels. So, we’re waiting for her to come down. So, it’s great to have loads of family there and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Did she make it down? She made it down. Yeah. So, we got some nice photos in the end. Yeah. It’s it’s about things like that cuz the family makes sacrifices as well. all years train and everything that goes into it for you and for them as well. Yeah. As in I couldn’t ask for a better support system, family on both sides. So many of them here and I’m just so thankful for all the support. Yeah. Today to win that we see it on the field but um so much effort behind the scenes as well. Tell us a bit about your season to date the work that has gone on since last winter. Yeah, as in we are probably going from October and November and obviously before Christmas it’s hard to bring people together. people are fatigued after the club season and stuff like that. So, as I said, like Derek and Paul have done huge work to bring this squad together. It was obviously a bit of a change over a year. Um, it’s just been a long 10 months, but it’s been worth it. The effort that goes in like that, the the hall that takes 10 months when you think about it. I mean, you have to put other things on hold and you said it’s worth it there. You know, it is a big life-changing thing to play county. Yeah, I know. It’s hard to think what you’d do with the time if you weren’t playing football. So like, but as I said, like getting to come here and getting to train with the girls four or five times a week. They become your family. They become your sisters. So just delighted that we got over the line. Joining me now is the winning Dublin manager. Uh what a day for you. What a moment. Describe it as best you can. Yes. Look, I suppose it’s really really satisfying and the whole management team put in a massive amount of work this year and particularly over the last number of weeks. Um the the work that they have put on and then to come to watch the team give a performance like that today was uh hugely satisfying. But yeah, it’s great and we’re going to enjoy the next few days. Um because we worked very very hard for this and the girls have worked even harder. So um yeah, days like this don’t come around too often, but we’re delighted. Tactically, you had to get a lot of things right and you did that right from the off. Talk us through what type of game plan you had and how you got that strong dominant first half performance. Yeah, I think look ultimately you have to be prepared for opposition but you have to be mindful of the fact that you have a game to play yourself and we know that when we play our game we’re we’re quite good or we can be quite good but we also know the threats that me brought with them. Uh obviously Vicky Wall, Emma Dugen are a massive uh massive threat up front. Uh and Neogley has been really good for them. So we were able to push Hannah McInness up on her just and I thought Hannah did a fantastic job. It just and it’s the work that a lot of people doesn’t don’t see that if you’re watching from the stand, you probably don’t realize the amount of hard work that takes uh to keep somebody like that quite. Um we knew they’ve excellent keeper and Robin Murray whose kick outs are excellent. Um but I thought our forwards were really really good in slowing them down coming out as well. I think we were able to move the ball fast and get crucial scores a crucial time. I think our conversion rate was pretty high there. Um was up in the 70%. Uh and on days like this you need today you need the ball going over the bar and we have the forwards that were able to do that and and thankfully they brought their uh their shooting boots today. Fantastic occasion, fantastic scene. This sport has grown year on year uh since you know Dublin completed their four in a row even a few years ago. It is. Yeah. I’m looking to see the color in the sands and the just the energy that the crowd bring. It’s fantastic and it’s a special day in the Irish sporting calendars, the ladies ga football finals and even on an August bank holiday weekend to um to have the amount of pe the amount of support for both counties. And there was obviously two other games beforehand. It’s fantastic to see. But um I mean when ladies football is played the way it’s played h even out there today it’s a really really pleasing on the eye and it’s a good uh spectacle and I mean it’s it’s football very often at its purest and um yeah I talked to our girls put a put on a great display today and we hope we send everybody home anyway um that would be you know happy with that performance I suppose just finally great few months in store and uh there’ll be a lot more matches to see and play this year you’ll have the cup going around to schools I imagine as well. So much to to enjoy. Yeah, it’s fantastic. And I think for our group um when we’ve won the All Irelands in previous years, it’s always been the same time as the lads have won there. You know, they won their six in a row and so we have the stage to ourselves now. And I look, I’m delighted for the girls because um they have been absolutely fantastic role models and ambassadors for our county. And um hope everybody gets out to see them over the coming days or the coming weeks, months, wherever it is. And uh I hope the girls enjoy it because they’ve worked really really hard not only today but over there’s a lot of them have played with Dublin for many many years now and they’ve um they owe this county the jersey absolutely nothing and this is their time and hope they enjoy these days. Thanks man. No problem. Thanks Stephen here after Dublin seventh all Ireland all senior football title today defeating me by I think 12 points in the end something that came up for us. Yeah phenomenal. Um, I think everything we had set to go out and do, all the targets that we had set, we just went out and did it. And I think that’s been an issue for us throughout the year, things that we’ve been saying that we wanted to do, we haven’t fully gone out and done it. So, um, yeah, just amazing that we had such a good start and I think that really boosted us then going into the second half. Yeah, obviously talk about that good start. I think you were five points up in the first six minutes kind of the dream the dream start and me couldn’t really get to grips. Yeah, I think so. We were going after a fast start. Um, you know, we did that in 2023. We had a good start and I think that really settled us. Um, but yeah, we knew today was going to be a battle. I think like regardless of the score line there, I think throughout the game, you were still always on edge, always so nervous because me brings such a threat and they have such dangerous players that when they go, they’re very hard stopped. So, um, yeah, it was a battle right up until the end. Yeah. And just on sort of the defensive play of the team, you press very high on kickouts and then when the ball didn’t get up the pitch for me, you sort of clogged the center and kind of restricted them with any real goal scoring or point scoring opportunities. No points from play for me in the first half. That must have been pleasing going out at halftime. Yeah, for sure. Um and like our defense are just absolutely phenomenal. Um like the likes of Leah Cafrey, Martha Burn, Jess Tobin, you’re just so safe with those girls on the field. um they have a wealth of experience and like that you just feel so comfortable going onto the field knowing that they’re behind you because if someone scores a goal you know it’s going to be a really good one because they are they’re top defenders in the country. Um so yeah we’ve we put a big emphasis on that and just delighted that it worked out and obviously Paul and Derek coming in brought new ideas bit of fresh freshness to the squad after obviously Mick leaving. Yeah absolutely the two lads have been fantastic. They’re definitely bring that bit of freshness into it. Um I think there was a bit of consistency there as well which I think was really important um because the lads had been involved when um Mick was our manager as well. So I think that really helped us that there wasn’t a massive change in the panel um that they kind of knew the players and players knew them. Um but they definitely brought an element of their own flare to it and a bit of freshness into it as well. Here Nicole Owens after Dublin’s victory against me in the all Ireland football final. Nicole not feeling up for us the final whistle. Oh, just uh yeah, jubilation, a lot of relief to be honest. I think to be honest, coming into this game. Um I know that after the goal match, we weren’t super happy with our performance. So, I think it was really about hitting this game running and I feel like we really did that in the first half. Maybe dropped off a little in the second half, but I think that first half performance, we really just set ourselves such a foundation. And even the opening few minutes, you got the goal to really settle the nerves for your side and I think you went five points up inside six minutes. That was dream start for you. Yeah, I think like we’d like the goal kind of just panned out because we cut them open. But I think the big thing was just like cut completely just clipping the points over and over and over and you saw like that was every single one of them is a tiny cut and that was the big focus just focus on the game plan one play at a time not try and get caught up in the emotion of it and like it’s really important to enjoy it but not to let that kind of enjoyment and that emotion take over from from what is the plan and we’re all just a cog in a machine and I think like the first half is an example of just everyone just doing their job and going at halftime obviously 11 points up you really frustrated me even in that first half really defensively they couldn’t get a score from play. Emma Dugen got four points from Freeze, but you really limited their opportunities. Yeah, like our our defense is unbelievable. And even at the end, they were saying they were like an iron wall. Like to be honest, there wasn’t there was no one getting through them. I think a team like me who can be so strong in the ball, you know, running um running really really direct. They have some seriously strong uh ball carriers including obviously Vicki who flattened me at one stage. Um and I think look to keep them away from the goal, you had one kind of half chance, but apart from that I think like just frustrated them. um maintain discipline. Um I think there’s an unbelievable defensive performance from the whole team, but I think it always kind of back our our defense. It’s kind of the foundation of of our team. And obviously you have had a few injuries over the last year or so, but having the likes of Forland Nolan come back in today and put in the performance she did. That must have gave the side a huge lift. Yeah, like I had no doubt that she would to be honest. She’s been pushing on the door and I know like the physios and stuff having the medical team having obviously come back from ACL there’s a risk so they’ve been keeping a bit of a lid on her. Um, but like there’s there’s no doubt like I think she’s a perfect example of someone who who took what is a horrible injury and is a horrible amount of time out of the game and applied herself. And I think her character both on the pitch and off the pitch, it means that like there couldn’t like there’s no one who wouldn’t be happy for and that really just shows like quality of a human she is more than a footballer. And Derek and Paul coming in as well, obviously a huge lift for your side and obviously bringing in new ideas and and a new framework to the side. Yeah, look, I think obviously I was what, seven or eight years under Mick. So like I think it’s look, it’s a it’s a regime change and and Mick obviously is a colossal joint in the game and and you know my career in Dublin, but I think they brought Yeah. freshness in. I think they really kind of had the squad backing them and I think it was always the same messing was always consistent. It was positive and holding people to account and I think as well the team holding ourselves to account and getting over that hurdle in the semi-final obviously against Galway and extra time. very tough game the last few seconds of normal time. A lot of people probably thought you were out of it a point down. Hannah Hannah Terrell steps steps up as she did today as well and she gets her stand ovation at the end. But how important was that sort of showing that you had that grit and determination to get one over on Galway as well from the year before and to get through to the final again. Yeah, like I would say this year like it hasn’t gone as smoothly as you know it could have. I think like if you look at the Waterford game, you know that could have been could have got no points from that game like okay put the ball out of the bar about literally last kick of the game. Um I think go away we came into go off a really good performance off court and we didn’t perform and we knew that but I think probably that just belief and that resilience that maybe wasn’t there last year I think like when Hannah stepped up to take that free last kick of normal time like I had no doubt it was going over and then once we hit extra time like we outclassed them in extra time and I think like that was the belief that you know had really built in our team and last year just obviously losing out at the quarterfinal stage you had the team to win it last year and the same again this year you always you have that strength and depth you of the powerful players on the pitch that were able to win big games and this year it all happened for you and today it your class showed against the me side that really really struggled to keep you at bay. Yeah, I think like if you if you look at like Ko Connor and Laura Mcu they’re probably two of the first names on any team sheet in the country. Um, so I think it really shows the the importance of depth and that’s something that has been so crucial this year and different players have stepped up at different times and I think the fact that you know we we lost them in the last couple of weeks. Um, yet like we had next man up next man up mentality and and you really saw that in that game like anyone who came on performed exactly as well as anyone who been playing and and that depth and that like I guess wholeness is is has been really crucial for us. and Dublin seventh title. Now let’s say celebrations will be a plenty tonight. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, like that’s I think that’s my fifth. So I’m very happy. I’ve I’ve finished on a 5-3 winning record. So, I’m very pretty pleased with
