Louth GAA club | Moninne boss hails “never say die” attitude in win over Fechins

Naomh Moninne ended their four-year wait for Louth Senior Hurling Championship glory, edging St. Fechins by a single point in a tense final that had the heart rates racing at Integral GAA Grounds, Drogheda.

Speaking after the match, manager Aidan Carter praised his players’ resilience and unity in a contest that swung back and forth until the very last ball.

Reflecting on the drama, Carter admitted the tension was intense. He said, “The tie was hard. It's not good for the heart anyway.

“I suppose all year we've been saying to the boys it's never over, don't give up, don't give up. Right until the final ball, we kept going, kept going.

“We looked good at one stage, and then it kind of tore, and they got ahead again. We kind of got five or six points close to them.

“With a goal disallowed, you thought, here we go again. The boys stuck at it, stuck with the plan. We said keep the discipline, keep what we'd planned all year. Thankfully, it paid off.”

Similar to semi-final

Much like their semi-final, Moninne took an early lead before their opponents fought back. This time, however, they kept St. Fechins within reach and didn’t allow them to pull away.

“I suppose the one that hit the post, I don't know if it was a save or the post, then a square ball. Whether it was or wasn't is debatable. But you kind of think nothing was going.

“We hit an awful lot of wides as well. The game could have been a lot closer. But again, looked wide, the boys just kept playing on. It was that never-say-die attitude. We knew that we had it in us. We knew we had the players to take it on.

“You look at Michael O'Shea was out in his ears there, winning balls in the air and driving it on. We told him that when the tank was empty, he should get into the reserve and drive it on.

“And that's what they did. They never got up. It was never over. Thankfully, we got over the line in the end.”

Squad effort

While Conor Murphy caught the eye, Carter was keen to stress that the triumph was built on contributions from across the entire panel.

“As we said to the boys, I think it was 38-39 (players) names there on the sheet. It's not about the first 15 or 20.

“It's about the whole panel and without them driving each other on the whole time. The lads wouldn't be as sharp as they are. All of the boys came on.

“Kyle Rafferty came on there and did really, really well. Fionn Cummiskey coming on added extra legs and skill there.

“With the back line in particular, we were under severe pressure. In the first half, we leaked a couple of goals. In the second half, I felt we were solid there. We had limited chances, so we did. Again, thankfully, it was just that hard work that paid off.”

Half time

Despite the tight scoreline and tense atmosphere at the break, Carter insisted there was no panic.

“Not particularly, no. We were in that position in the semi-finals, the belief within the players themselves and the belief in each other.

“I don't know if it was the six points at half-time. I'm not sure what it was. It was the same in the semi-finals. We knew it wasn't dead. We knew we had to get a couple of scores. Get the team just flowing again.

“We knew we were always aiming for the shot. We said that they were a merit to Fechins; they were going for five in a row.

“They are a good team. They showed that. They showed it there again today. I think our lads had that confidence and belief that we were as good as them.”

Leinster next

With ten weeks until their Leinster Championship campaign, Carter said there had been no thoughts about the provincial stage before this final.

“I suppose it's every game at times. We would take it on. The first game against them, we'd gone to the Knockbridge game. We'd go through, and we'd concentrate on this. We weren't concentrating on anything else only today.

“We worked hard. Everyone pulled together to get over the line here. Now we can enjoy it and start thinking about the Leinster campaign after this.”

Community club

The celebrations at the final whistle told their own story, with Carter emphasising just how much this win means to the Naomh Moninne community.

“It's massive. As you say, it's a small hurling community. The amount of work that was in there. I know it was in every club. I suppose I’m only a year involved. But obviously, knowing them over the years, playing against them. It's a real family.

“It's a real community, so it is. It's 2019, I think the last one, and in 2023 they were beat. It just means everything to them. Especially out in Toberona, the work that went in.

“There was blood, sweat and tears out there. Men, women and kids out picking stones. It is a real, real club. Everyone pulls together in the good and the bad times. It's great for them. That's what it's about.”