McGrath: “The Pace, Fitness, Strength And Conditioning Of The Team Has Upped Since I Was Away.”
At last weeks media event Dublin ladies footballers Siobhan McGrath and Ciara Trant gave us their thoughts on Sunday’s All Ireland Final.
2010 All Ireland winner Siobhan McGrath returned to the squad this season after two and half years traveling abroad.
The Thomas Davis player expressed how daunting it was to return, particularly with how much the pace, fitness and strength and conditioning has upped since she was away.
Although McGrath has reestablished her place in the Dublin starting team, she is well aware that with the competition within the squad that no one can take their place in the team for granted.
Dublin’s All Star winning goalkeeper Ciara Trant spoke about how she keeps her concentration during the times in games where she is seeing little action down her end of the pitch.
Whether the ball is in your half of the pitch or not you always have a job to do said Ciara and she stays switched on by constantly communicating with the defenders in front of her.
Trant: “We Are A Different Team To Two Three Year’s Ago, So Are They.”
Trant went on to say that due to the changes in personnel in both the Dublin and Cork teams that the history between between the sides is in the past as both counties will field a different team to their previous meetings and the talk of the rivalry between the teams is for the fans.
The week of All Ireland finals can sometimes drag for players and it’s all about trying to fill in the time till match day, but Siobhan McGrath seems to take it all in her stride.
McGrath eluded to the fact that outside of football the players on the team have their day to day lives and jobs to go to and it’s easy to fill in the time.
She went on to say the players are excited to come to training and focus and they try not to dwell on the fact it’s a final or they would get bogged down on it and her wise advice was ‘Keep Chilled.’
