McIntyre urges Lorrha to use defeat to fuel focus for next year

 

By Liam Hogan 

Lorrha manager John McIntyre was a very disappointed man after he watched his side lose to Mullinahone after a great display in the Seamus O Riain Cup Final. 

He was full of praise for his players saying they left everything on the field but that Mullinahone were that little bit more experience. However, he added that his team must build on their performance especially the performances produced throughout the campaign.

“It was a magnificent effort by the players,” he began. 
“They fought to the bitter end. We went nine points down towards the end as they seemed to get goals at the right time plus a couple of breaks at the right time. 
“Another team would have been beaten by fourteen or fifteen points, but we pulled it back to five and there was plenty drama around the Mullinahone goal area late on in the match.”

While Lorrha didn’t play poorly, Mullinahone produced their best performance of the championship, with their three key experienced players Paul & Sean Curran and Eoin Kelly to the fore.

McIntyre added: “They kept coming, kept coming and we got hit by a couple of sucker punches and lost our way maybe five minutes before half time when we conceded five points on the trot. 
“We never really got a flow of scores going. We hit them here and there, but you could see Mullinahone’s experience. They came used to big days like this and it would have been a fairy-tale if Lorrha had to come from not winning a match in three years to winning a county title.
“Now the challenge is for everybody to re-double their efforts and get back here in twelve months’ time.”

Whether McIntyre is at the helm to see Lorrha go that extra step remains to be seen but he said the players put the honour back in the jersey this year. 

“I am bitterly disappointed for the players,” he continued. 
“They were honourable in their blue jerseys this year. Anything I asked of them was done. They were totally committed, and they gave a massive lift to the parish. 
“Mullinahone were probably that bit better than us today. Their craft and experience stood to them at key moments of the game. 
“But it’s a learning process. We are a young team and we did not let ourselves down. It’s a killer losing finals, but we won by getting here.”