SHIRT SHRIFT
Mcevoy tells opponents not to ask for her jersey TODAY’S TEAMS O’DONOVAN BROTHERS HIT TOWN TO GET DUCKS IN A ROW
ALL-IRELAND LADIES FINAL
The Dublin forward – a veteran of five deciders, winning two – firmly nailed her colours to the mast ahead of the 2015 All-ireland final against Cork.
She said: “I’ve seen people in the past swapping jerseys at the end of a game with another county.
“I definitely would never swap a Dublin jersey.
“It’s a massive honour and privilege.”
The Dubs lost that final against Cork but bounced back last year, beating Mayo to lift the trophy, and now Mcevoy wants revenge against Cork today.
She said: “We know they are always epic encounters when we play Cork. It’s always a spectacle and it’s something that people really look forward to.
“But we don’t really think about the opposition too much now, particularly at the start of the year when we just set out to get to the pinnacle and win the All-ireland.
“Certainly Cork are a very formidable team and we give them the respect that of course they are due.
“Under Mick Bohan we have taken to concentrating on ourselves a lot. PAUL and Gary O’donovan clinched men’s lightweight double sculls gold at the World Championships in Bulgaria yesterday.
The Olympic silver medallists recovered from a below-par semifinal performance to take gold ahead of the Italian boat.
The O’donovans drew level with Now we’re just keen to get out there and be involved in the battle.
“Last year was incredible. This will be my fifth final in a row to be involved in and each year the crowd seems to get bigger.
“One of my abiding memories was just running out and realising that the upper tier on the Cusack side was open. It felt like the whole stadium was full when we ran out. “I was involved in the throw in and the noise levels were like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It was phenomenal and it’s something we hope will be emulated this weekend.”
Mcevoy is a St Sylvester’s clubwoman, alongside Dublin skipper Sinéad Aherne and fellow forward Nicole Owens.
She added: “It’s a special time for the club.
“Last year the homecoming was in Malahide because Sinéad is the captain and Mick was saying it was a testament to Sylvester’s that there were three of us on the team.
“But even since that, we have three more girls in the panel and they’re pushing us now too. It’s great for the club and they are very, very good for getting behind us and supporting us.” the Italians at halfway before pulling clear as Belgium took bronze.
Favourites Norway could only manage fifth after illness meant Kristoffer Brun had to be replaced in the boat.
The Cork brothers gained worldwide prominence during the 2016 Rio Olympics after giving a series of comical post-race interviews. Paul O’donovan (inset) joked after yesterday’s race in Plovdiv that they had prepared for the final by going “out on the town” on Friday night. “We needed to be on form so we headed away early, around 2am,” he told RTE Sport.
After winning their Olympic silver in Rio, they were unable to compete in the double sculls at last year’s World Championships after Gary was ruled out due to illness.
Earlier this year, the duo clinched European Championship silver behind Norwegians Brun and Are Strandli.