Down Ladies' Meghan Doherty and Orla Boyle look ahead to this weekend's clash against Cavan

After a great ending to their league campaign, Down ladies fell just short of gaining promotion to Division Two.

Paul Devlin caught up with Captain Meghan Doherty and senior player Orla Boyle to get their take on the league campaign, the upcoming Ulster Championship, and Down celebrating 30 years of LGFA football in the county.

Q. How do you feel the league campaign went?

Meghan: We had a shaky start to the beginning of our league campaign, losing our opening two games to Roscommon and Wexford. After these games, as a unit we worked hard on fixing our errors in these games to ensure wins going forward. We really stepped up a gear and had wins in our five games after this. Unfortunately our start cost us, and meant we just missed out on promotion into Division Two and an opportunity to play in the league final which really was a blow for us.

Orla: There were highs and lows throughout. Unfortunately, as Meghan said a few early defeats resulted in us ultimately missing out on promotion.

Q. After last seasons success what were your goals before the season started?

Meghan: After last season we had set our goals to get promoted out of Division Three which sadly we just fell short of. Other goals were to compete strongly back in Intermediate in both Ulster and in the All-Ireland.

Orla: The aim was to bring the momentum from last year’s Championship success into the league this year. Unfortunately as a team we started the league poorly, possibly due to a bit of burn out from the year before.

Q. There were mixed emotions I'm sure, but what was the feeling within the squad after the Clare game?

Meghan: The buzz after the Clare game was fantastic. Going into the game we knew the result, in terms of the table meant nothing, but for us that game meant a lot. To come out as winners against the team that won the Division Three final is great. We worked so hard in that game and we played a really nice style of football. Girls really started to have a bit more belief after that game finished.

Orla: It’s tough beating the league winners but missing out on promotion. I suppose we have to take the positives from it. The main positive being that we can compete with the best teams in that league.

Q. Getting players like Sarah Dougherty and Alice McAlea back from injury must be a huge boost for the team. How exciting is it to be involved with this current Senior panel of players?

Meghan: Yes, having the girls back from injury is a massive boost. The rehab and recovery work that Sarah and Alice have put in for the past year has been so admirable and it is amazing to see them bounce back from their injury's and come back even stronger. I couldn’t speak higher of this current panel, the girls work so hard and as a team we have so much fun doing it which is great. There's a really strong bond within the group and everyone shares the same goals.

Orla: It’s really exciting to have them back, all of these players you’ve mentioned are of serious quality. It’s not nice to see anyone pick up a bad injury, but the resilience these mentioned girls have shown is inspirational to the rest of the team.

Q. There looks to be a great team spirt within this panel, the teams reaction when Sarah Dougherty scored against Antrim showed a bit of that. How as a Captain /Senior player do you go about instilling this bond?

Meghan: Yeah, that was a special moment. To see Sarah come back from her injury to finally getting back on the pitch, the girls knew she deserved to take that penalty and had no doubt of her not scoring it. The girls make it really easy, you know we are together every week three, four times a week, it’s our lives and girls make so much sacrifices to be a part of the county set up that the bond between us is just so tight knit. We are all really good friends and we make time for each other even outside of football which benefits our performances in training and matches also.

Orla: The cheer for Sarah was very much the same reason I mentioned. Everyone is just so happy to have her back. Of course because she is such a quality player, but more so for herself. We are just happy to see how well she has recovered and that’s why there was such a great response to the goal. As a senior player, I suppose it’s about keeping the players motivated. From my side I find myself most vocal when we are on the back foot, obviously as a defender. If the players are motivated and all working hard then that definitely instils a bond in the team.

Q. What are your thoughts and goals on the upcoming Ulster Championship?

Meghan: I’m really looking forward to Ulster Championship. To be back up in Intermediate is a massive boost and I just can’t wait to go out and put a marker down for Down Ladies. We play Cavan in our preliminary round and we know what a tough challenge this will be. We have to prepare right and go into this Championship with a positive mentality.

Orla: We haven’t even really thought of the Championship in it’s entirety yet. Cavan is our sole focus for now as they pose a serious threat. They have played in the league above us all year, so we know they will be sharp.

Q. There seems to be a great bunch of talented young players coming into the squad. How are these players integrating into the Senior set up and how excited are you for the future of Down Ladies football?

Meghan: The youth in Down ladies football is amazing, looking back to when I was underage / minor, there was nowhere near the numbers that compare to now. The interest and the young talent is fantastic to see and is really strengthening Down football. The younger girls that have come into the Senior squad have added great depth to our squad and the experience for them is brilliant as it’s a step up and pushes them to train harder. I am excited to see what lies ahead for the future of Down Ladies football.

Orla: I think fitness is a big thing here. All of the young girls coming in are flying fit. Having that box ticked when joining the panel has allowed the new players to focus on other elements of the game and get up to speed with our style of play and the demands of inter-county football. Special mention here has to go to Niamh King. She has been so important for us in the forward line this year and watching our games you would think she is one of the more experienced players at this level.

Q.This year sees Down celebrate 30 years of Ladies football. Meghan and Orla, you're both role models for hundreds of young female footballers throughout the county. What are your earliest memories of ladies football and what role models within the game did you have growing up? And who has really driven on Ladies football?

Meghan: My earliest memories of Ladies football would be underage level and going with my club Carryduff down to Croke park for All-Ireland final day. We would get buses down and go watch all three games. Croke park back then seemed so surreal and when the final whistles blew everyone would run onto the pitch (sadly not allowed to do this as spectators anymore) and I had always dreamed to one day play on it myself. When I was underage and especially when I first started playing underage county, I had looked up to the likes of Caroline O’Hanlon, Michaela Downey, Eliza Downey, Kyla Trainor. These women were great leaders and it showed in all their performances. It was amazing to be able to play with some of them when I reached Senior level.

Orla: For me, Kyla Trainor is my role model. Both at club and county she has been one of the most talented footballers I have ever played alongside. I had the pleasure of winning the All Ireland with Kyla in 2014, a dream come true for me. Kyla now manages our club team RGU and seeing her football knowledge and skill driving the young girls on is unmatched. We as a club are very lucky to have her.

Q. What changes have you seen within your own clubs and the county set up, from when you started playing until now?

Meghan: The numbers that both club and county have now is a massive change compared to when I started playing. With going from having one Senior team at club level we now have two or three. How the sport has progressed is so amazing to see. One of the biggest changes I’ve seen is the introduction of S&C programmes to teams. When I started and going up through u14-Senior, we didn’t have S&C until past recent years, but the benefits that S&C has on performance and the likes of injury prevention is incredible.

Orla: The communication between club and county has definitely improved. I think there is now much more people involved in the background and that has positively impacted communication. Pitch booking, training facilities etc have all worked very well for us this year and that is down to the hard work of volunteers in the background.

Our club in particular have opened their facilities to county training sessions on several occasions. Clubs such as Drumaness and Burren have also been very good, alongside St Joseph’s Newry. I hope that going forward we see this trend continue and more clubs within Down open their facilities to us. I don’t think there is a problem with clubs not allowing us to train, it’s more so just making all clubs aware that we are looking for facilities.

Q. Down's LGFA underage set up seems to be thriving at the moment. Have you noticed the change in numbers and ability that is currently coming through at club and county. And what advice would you pass on to female footballers?

Meghan: Yeah I have noticed the change in numbers, the county Minor panel has a serious number of players on the panel as does our Senior panel. Having young minors come into the squad adds great depth and also pushes older players on which brings a great competitive side to the team. The interest is growing every year and with the success of underage right through to Senior, is bringing Down ladies football to peoples attention and it’s something younger girls now want to work for and be apart of. My advice that I would pass on to female footballers, especially the younger generation is to never give up. Never think any dream is too far fetched and always have belief in yourself. If you believe in yourself then you will surprise yourself with what you can achieve and trust me, the reward is worth it.

Orla: I actually keep a close eye on all the underage results. The Down LGFA social media pages have become very good at keeping the scores updated and it’s great to see. I’ve definitely noticed the numbers increase in our clubs underage, particularly the girls. For the first time ever we have two U14 girls teams in RGU. I remember when I was that age we had to play in the boys teams, so this progression is very promising for the future of ladies football in Down. My advice to young girls who are just starting up or thinking of joining their club is to go for it. Some of your best friendships will come from football. Although it is a competitive sport and we all want to win, it is important to pull those around you along and always play together as a team.