“We've never had a day like this”

THE blue ribbons on the cup told the world that Claremorris were champions of Connacht and the broad smiles stretched across faces of family and friends perfectly illustrated the joy being experienced on the sacred sod of Abbey Park in Boyle.

The winners had stars all over the field but the most influential player on the pitch had been Rebecca Kean. The centre-half-forward had kicked points, helped construct goals and link play brilliantly time after time.

However, she was in no mood to accept praise.

“Everything we do is team-orientated. Really good ball came into the forwards because of the savage hard work of the girls out the field. Their dirty work opened things up for us in attack and we're very thankful to them,” Rebecca told The Mayo News before describing the emotions being enjoyed in the moments after the final whistle.

“We've never experienced anything like this and I'm ecstatic. We've never had a day like this. We won the county final a few years ago but lost the first game in Connacht and we were determined to have a real go at it this year.

“St Brigids are a really good team. They were so strong. They kept coming back at us. Every time we got an inch they brought it back again. We had to fight to the bitter end and fight for every single ball. It was a battle every step of the way,” she added.

On Sunday, the Claremorris squad was a rich mix of youth and experience with ten minors, two U-16s and more experienced players such as Kean in Aidan Brennan's winning group.

“This is very special. Football is a major part of our existence. Some of us older ones have been around for a long time with little to show for it before this year, but this run might keep us involved for another few years, you never know what the future holds,” the Player of the Match concluded.