HAVING soldiered in a maroon jersey for 15 years, Westmeath’s Martin Flanagan hadn’t long hung up his boots before donning a bainisteoir’s bib.
It is for the county’s ladies football side that he now patrols the line, and his first year has gone well so far, with the Lake County meeting Leitrim in the Bord Gáis Energy Ladies NFL Division 3 final at Parnell Park tomorrow (1.15pm).
Flanagan admits that the change in circumstances has given him a new appreciation of the role of a manager.
“I suppose I wasn’t the best trainer in the world or anything like that, and I had to be persuaded!” he laughs. “When you’re trying to get people fit you can see where the manager was coming from. I’ve seen both sides of it now at this stage, I’m getting wiser.”
Westmeath won last year’s All-Ireland intermediate title and will compete at senior championship level this year, so it’s vital, in Flanagan’s eyes, that they are playing Division 2 football for 2013.
“With only one going up, we need to win the final. That’s where you want to be, playing the top teams. We were late back training, most of the teams had a head-start on us, so we didn’t know what to expect at the start.
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“A few games in we were expecting to get through, at least to a league semi-final.”
The Division 3 decider forms the first part of a triple-header tomorrow, with the final game, the Division 1 final, being a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland senior final, with Cork and Monaghan going head-to-head. Cork, who have won six of the last seven All-Ireland titles, are going for a fifth consecutive league win, and Elaine Harte says that the desire for success remains as strong as ever.
“It’s never tough to motivate yourself for a league final,” the goalkeeper says, “especially against a team as good as Monaghan. There has never been much between the sides, including in last year’s All-Ireland.
“It looks like the hunger is still there, training is going well, we’re trying to up the ante now and this will be a great match for us to make sure that we’re still there or thereabouts.”
Based in north Tipperary, Harte faces a journey for every match and training session, but does not find it too taxing.
“It’s not too bad, an hour and 20 minutes or whatever. Geraldine O’Flynn comes from Portlaoise so we meet up and go down together. You wouldn’t call it a struggle.”
Aiming to deny Cork are the Farney County, whose only league loss was to the Rebels, but their captain Sharon Courtney maintains that revenge for that defeat or the All-Ireland is not an issue.
“I don’t think it is,” she says. “Yeah, grand, Cork beat us last year, but we’ve put in work this year and done well and the final is the reward, the focus is all on this year.
“We’re still in the league and you don’t get properly ticking over until the championship, but girls are either playing the same as they are last year or better. We’re definitely not playing well.”
The Division 2 final is an all-Connacht affair between Galway and Mayo. Having won four All-Ireland finals in five years at the turn of the millennium, Mayo now find themselves aiming to return to the top flight.
“We were disappointed that we got knocked out of Division 1,” says Leona Ryder. “It’s vital to be back up there playing Cork and Monaghan and the top teams so hopefully we can do the business.”
Representing sponsors Bord Gáis Energy was Ger Cunningham. “It’s our fourth year being involved and we’re delighted to be associated with it.
“We’ve tried to enhance it any way we can, the advent of the manager of the month awards and the teams of the league at the end of the campaign have helped to improve it.
Bord Gáis Energy Ladies NFL finals, Parnell Park, tomorrow
Flanagan feeling comfortable in Westmeath manager’s bib
HAVING soldiered in a maroon jersey for 15 years, Westmeath’s Martin Flanagan hadn’t long hung up his boots before donning a bainisteoir’s bib.
It is for the county’s ladies football side that he now patrols the line, and his first year has gone well so far, with the Lake County meeting Leitrim in the Bord Gáis Energy Ladies NFL Division 3 final at Parnell Park tomorrow (1.15pm).
Flanagan admits that the change in circumstances has given him a new appreciation of the role of a manager.
“I suppose I wasn’t the best trainer in the world or anything like that, and I had to be persuaded!” he laughs. “When you’re trying to get people fit you can see where the manager was coming from. I’ve seen both sides of it now at this stage, I’m getting wiser.”
Westmeath won last year’s All-Ireland intermediate title and will compete at senior championship level this year, so it’s vital, in Flanagan’s eyes, that they are playing Division 2 football for 2013.
“With only one going up, we need to win the final. That’s where you want to be, playing the top teams. We were late back training, most of the teams had a head-start on us, so we didn’t know what to expect at the start.
“A few games in we were expecting to get through, at least to a league semi-final.”
The Division 3 decider forms the first part of a triple-header tomorrow, with the final game, the Division 1 final, being a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland senior final, with Cork and Monaghan going head-to-head. Cork, who have won six of the last seven All-Ireland titles, are going for a fifth consecutive league win, and Elaine Harte says that the desire for success remains as strong as ever.
“It’s never tough to motivate yourself for a league final,” the goalkeeper says, “especially against a team as good as Monaghan. There has never been much between the sides, including in last year’s All-Ireland.
Based in north Tipperary, Harte faces a journey for every match and training session, but does not find it too taxing.
“It’s not too bad, an hour and 20 minutes or whatever. Geraldine O’Flynn comes from Portlaoise so we meet up and go down together. You wouldn’t call it a struggle.”
Aiming to deny Cork are the Farney County, whose only league loss was to the Rebels, but their captain Sharon Courtney maintains that revenge for that defeat or the All-Ireland is not an issue.
“I don’t think it is,” she says. “Yeah, grand, Cork beat us last year, but we’ve put in work this year and done well and the final is the reward, the focus is all on this year.
“We’re still in the league and you don’t get properly ticking over until the championship, but girls are either playing the same as they are last year or better. We’re definitely not playing well.”
The Division 2 final is an all-Connacht affair between Galway and Mayo. Having won four All-Ireland finals in five years at the turn of the millennium, Mayo now find themselves aiming to return to the top flight.
“We were disappointed that we got knocked out of Division 1,” says Leona Ryder. “It’s vital to be back up there playing Cork and Monaghan and the top teams so hopefully we can do the business.”
Representing sponsors Bord Gáis Energy was Ger Cunningham. “It’s our fourth year being involved and we’re delighted to be associated with it.
“We’ve tried to enhance it any way we can, the advent of the manager of the month awards and the teams of the league at the end of the campaign have helped to improve it.
Bord Gáis Energy Ladies NFL finals, Parnell Park, tomorrow
Division 3: Leitrim v Westmeath, 1.15pm
Division 2: Galway v Mayo, 3pm
Division 1: Cork v Monaghan, 4.45pm
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GAA Ladies Football