Coughlan rues a missed opportunity

ENDA COUGHLAN wasn’t mincing his words after the final whistle. For the Kilmurry-Ibrickane captain, first place is everything, second is a set of steak knives.

Team selector Gerard McCarthy had just admitted he was naturally disappointed that they’d lost but was proud to be competing in a final.

Seated next to him in Croke Park’s press room, Coughlan had a different take on events.

“I think once we didn’t win today it’s not worth a f**k being here, to be honest,” said Coughlan.

“We came up today, we didn’t win it, as far as I’m concerned it’s not just a day out.”

In fairness to McCarthy his words weren’t meant as an acceptance of failure, more a comfort blanket to toss around his players after a defeat that was even more comprehensive than the five-point margin suggests.

“It’s great to be here lads, it’s been a great journey,” stated McCarthy.

“Naturally we’d love if the history was different and if we’d won this one. But that’s the way it is. That’s football and that’s sport and you take the good days with the bad.”

Kilmurry got off to the perfect start, finding the net inside the first minute to raise their hopes of a famous win.

But for the most part it was downhill after that as they struggled badly to cope with the greater movement and hunger of the Gall’s players.

“I think everyone that watched the game will know, when you analyse the game afterwards you will see that St Gall’s had three or four chances as well when they got through for points and you’d say ‘Why didn’t they go for goals?’” reflected McCarthy.

“They were that comfortably ahead. I think even if we got the goal, yes, it would have lifted us and you’d never know what would have happened.

“When Mark McCarthy came on, he added another dimension to us, running at them, but I don’t think we were going to do it. That’s the way I felt, unless we got a goal or two rapidly and raised the game.”

Perhaps, like Gall’s, Kilmurry can use the chastening final defeat as a springboard to future glory.

“Hopefully, there’s a lot of young players there but sure you never know what way things are going to go,” said Coughlan.

“After last year’s Munster final we didn’t know how many would be around.

“Thankfully a lot of them stayed around. But you’d never know what’s going to happen. We’re a small club back in west Clare. There isn’t much work back there.

“We could lose a few players. You never know what’s going to happen after this. It was a great chance for us today. We were here.”