Quarter final scare focused Lorrha minds
By James Hayden
Lorrha manager Ken Hogan was relieved to have qualified for a County Intermediate Hurling final, despite the comfortable nature of their semi-final win over Drom & Inch on Saturday.
“I’m delighted with that win,” he began.
“I mean we were fifteen seconds away from being out of the county championship in the quarter-final and it proved the catalyst.
“However, county semi-finals are no good if you don’t win the county final. We are just looking forward to it now and while we have a couple of injury niggles and problems we have just got to prepare properly for the final. Christopher Fogarty picked up a hamstring.”
Lorrha made a number of positional switches from the Borrisokane make but a key one was the return of Eoin McIntyre who flew in from Dubai on Friday night and contributed handsomely to the win, having missed their last two games due to work commitments.
“Eoin McIntyre coming back last night proved a huge help to us,” Hogan added.
“In any rural parish you are depending on twenty players. We are in the Junior ‘B’ county semi-final as well and from our perspective it’s about keeping everybody going.
“We are delighted to get as far as we have, and we knew we had a major point to prove after the Borrisokane game. We could have been coming over here today watching Borrisokane and Drom in a county semi-final and that would have really hurt some from our perspective. Borrisokane played really well and gave us a savage wake-up call.
“I think this has gelled us stronger together and from now on its preparation for county championship weekend.
“Our forwards were on song today and our backs delivered good ball, so I think we focused well after the Borrisokane game. We worked hard for the last two weeks and thankfully now we are through to a county decider.”
Having been relegated last year, Lorrha are just one win away from an immediate return to premier intermediate as they aim to win third county intermediate title to add to those of 1947 and 2007.
“With a county final you have got to get there, and you have to be out to achieve something,” Hogan added.
“Lorrha don’t achieve too many county titles and we are only there. We have to go out now and earn a victory in the county final."