Scanlon pleased with performance on big stage

JOINT Kerry captain Lorraine Scanlon was drenched with perspiration after a huge personal performance in the game, but the beaming smile on her face reflected the happiness that she felt after the win.

“This is where you want to be, a big crowd, a big day, and we are so delighted to put in a performance like that. The boys have instilled such confidence in us since they came in and I think that there’s such a difference in the atmosphere since the league. The atmosphere in the build up to the championship in the last four weeks has been brilliant in training and I think that we are all so delighted that we were able to pull through today and give a performance like that. I think a lot of it goes down to the hard work that the boys have put in at training over the last 4 weeks”.

Kerry had a very poor league and were relegated to Division Two after finishing bottom of their group. The championship is a different matter however, and Scanlon said that the players knew what had to be done.

“It was up to us stepping up and taking responsibility. It all came down to work-rate and I think that the girls put in a super shift today and as I said the preparation over the last few weeks has been brilliant so we are delighted with everything. We had to defend our Munster title. Waterford beat us in the round robin last year and we played them again in the Munster final but it was nearly like daylight robbery that we won that one, it was a very close game and we were lucky that the crossbar saved us. Even to come back and prove that we are better than we were that day is another positive that we will take forward with us.”

There are talks going ahead that the Munster Ladies Final may be played as part of a treble header at Pairc Ui Chaoimh with the men’s final. Although Scanlon is excited with such a possibility, she also showed the steely side to her character when she admitted that the main focus was winning the Munster title no matter where it is played. “Playing at Pairc Ui Chaoimh would be massive if we could. Still though the main thing is that we want to retain the Munster title, so regardless of where we play once we come out with a Munster title we’ll be happy.”