We headed to Cork on Saturday morning with a bunch of girls in high spirits and full of hope of bringing the cup back to the Kingdom. It wasn’t to be as we battled and fought bravely but were met with an opposition more streetwise and simply better on the day.
The tears and sadness that followed was short lived as Killarney u18’s manage to put the smiles back on everyones faces. The singing and dancing on the bus continued all the way home. Although we lost the match we gained so much more. This is a team that started from nowhere and ended up contesting a cup final, that can only be achieved with buy in from coaches, players and parents to keep believing in the team.
From the start we kept pushing them to deliver more at training, and these girls never disappointed. The intensity grew week on week and so did the performances on match days. We managed to win matches along the way in a unique style of free flowing rugby, that has been a joy to watch, and be part of. This is a special group of players that will only get better. This is only the start.
Thank you to Chip, one of our coaches for the match report above. I want to thank Killarney rugby club for taking care of transport on the day and the contribution towards dinner. Also to Listowel RFC for the donation to the costs on the day, very much appreciated.
A huge thank you to the parents and supporters for coming along to the final. Well done to the girls and boys for doing the ball duties, ye did brilliantly.
Big thank you to manager and staff from the East Avenue hotel for to fabulous food and service.
Last but not least the players and coaches who have been an absolute pleasure to work with all season long. Cheers Ann (Gabbett – Team Manager)