‘I’d bring them to the moon and back’

Fitzgerald pays tribute to defeated Coláiste Bhríde

COLÁISTE BHRÍDE CARNEW manager Bob Fitzgerald paid an emotional tribute to his defeated camogie tream after they fell to a very useful Cashel Community School side in the Tesco All-Ireland Post Primary Junior ‘B’ final in Heywood last Saturday afyternoon.

‘They’re an incredible bunch. There’s a thing going around the school at the moment, when they go, we’re under pressure. As I said to them there, I’d bring them to the moon and back. They’re very easy to work with, no matter what you ask them to do, them and they’re backed by an incredible bunch of parents. I’d never have a bad word to say about them. They’re very easy to work with, they’re just a great group in general from 1 to 33,’ he said.

Having navigated their way through the Leinster campaign that included an epic marathon with Gorey CS the Coláiste Bhríde team saw off Maryfield of Drumcondra in the All-Ireland semi-final before moving on to face the Tipp students.

Bob Fitzgerald says that his players have bravery in abundance.

‘That’s what they have in abundance (bravery). That’s what we hang our hat on, the refusal to stop. Any other team there would have went out in the second half and went through the motions. And, as I said to them, if it was any other team, we wouldn’t have won the semi-final, we wouldn’t have come out of that fiasco with Gorey. We wouldn’t be here if it was any other team. It’s just that willingness to not stop that they have that has them here,’ he said.

Cashel CS elected to play with the wind at their backs, a decision that would help them considerably come the final whistle.

‘Slow, very, very slow first half (from Coláiste Bhríde). There was a very strong wind there but we stood off them. We knew coming in that they were very good hurlers, but we stood off them far too much and gave them the space that allowed them to hurl. Their second goal was a serious move. If it was in Croke Park everyone would be talking about it. But, at the same time, we let them do it, and the girls stood off them and didn’t lay a hand on them and they went the whole way up the field untouched and that usually doesn’t happen,’ he added.

And any final words?

‘Just to thank the players, the parents, the school, we got huge support from the school. This is the first time a team from the school has reached an All-Ireland final since 2008. They’ll be back,’ he added.