‘We will regroup and try again’

Diarmuid Sheehan Ephie Fitzgerald was bowed but unbroken after defeat to the Dubs in Sunday’s grand finale

PHIE Fitzgerald sat with one arm by his side and another around the shoulders of his captain Ciara O’Sullivan at headquarters on Sunday evening to try and make sense of Cork’s loss in the All Ireland Final.

The manager was candid, spoke at length and was unwavering in his respect for the victors and his admiration for his own players and the sacrifices they made to get so close to yet another national title.

“Obviously I am disappointed for the girls, they gave it everything. We knew when we were coming up here today that we were up against a very good Dublin team that have been around the block for quite a while. I think they are together since 2014 so as Ciara [O’Sullivan] alluded to we have a very young team and I suppose it is a learning curve for us.

“I suppose there was a lot of talk about Cork not losing to Dublin before the game, but we didn’t focus on any of that stuff. We prepared as best we could and I thought our second half performance was brilliant.

“I was so proud of the girls, they never gave up – I think Eimear Scally had a chance but it was kicked off the line, maybe that was the spurt we needed but having said all that Dublin were really good today and I have to congratulate them.”

While Fitzgerald was at pains to point out that his side came into this one with less experience than the now double All-Ireland winners he was equally equivocal that the positives from the loss on Sunday were minimal.

“We came up here to win. We go into every game to do the level best we can. Early on, particularly in the first half we didn’t stick to our game plan in the sense that maybe we were a little bit nervous, it was a big occasion and you can kind of get lost in things in Croke Park, but having said all that I am so proud of all the girls, they worked their socks off, they went to the finish and maybe on another day things might have gone our way but over the years Cork have come out the right side of tight results but today it was a different for us.

“I think that writing us off was a little disrespectful, we are very proud. I don’t think anyone could have dealt with the change [in players] that we have had over the last number of years and be back in the final again – and hopefully we will get back here again. We have made huge progress this year and we would be expecting to make more going forward.”

Trailing by four at the interval Cork were always going to be up against it but Fitzgerald was clear that there was no panic in the dressing room.

“Nothing said really. We just tweaked a few things, we knew that there was more in us. When you are playing All Ireland finals, particularly against Dublin, you know that Dublin Cork games are always going to be close so four points [at half-time] wasn’t an insurmountable lead but today I think the key was Dublin got the goals at the vital times when we got back into the game, back to a point they got a goal which gave them a buffer then we got it back to two points and they got another goal but you know that is the way it goes, they have a very, very good forward line, very experienced, I said they have been on the go for a long time so hats off to them and congratulations to them.”

While Ephie had plenty of praise for Dublin’s forwards he also saw the positives in his defenders as they had to come to terms with probably the most potent attack in the game today.

“We pride ourselves on that, there was four of those girls at the back playing in their first All-Ireland Final and that is a testament to players like Maire O’Callaghan, Eimear Meaney and these girls – they really stood up to it against a formidable forward line so we are very pleased with that.

“I am very pleased with all the girls to be honest with you – I can sit here and say I am bitterly I think that writing us off was a little disrespectful, we are very proud... We have made huge progress this year

disappointed, but I am also sitting here immensely proud. I have been around sport long enough to know when an honest performance has been given and I think our girls couldn’t give any more today.

“We came up a little bit short and that is just the reality of it but as I said I am so proud of the girls I can’t really put it into words.”

There was little between the sides all day and Fitzgerald felt that the difference was probably something you just can’t buy.

“The two best teams in the country hitting off against one another today, maybe that little bit of experience that Dublin have in the big games was telling. I know that some of our players have a lot of experience too but we had some girls playing here today for the first time.

“Their game management was probably a little bit better than ours at times, but that can be expected.

“You lose an All-Ireland it is obviously going to be raw for a few days, but I have great admiration for the Dublin girls and the way they took their defeats, graciously and now we will do the same. We have to put our hands up and say Dublin were better than us on the day, they were victorious and we salute them.

“It is very easy to be magnanimous in victory, but when we lose we pride ourselves on standing up and saying yeah, the better team won today. We will get on with it, we will regroup and we will try again next year.

“The previous All Irelands that Cork won are irrelevant. This is this year’s team. We were delighted to get to the final and when we were here we wanted to win it but it just didn’t happen.”