Armagh’s Blaithin Mackin says that this Saturday’s upcoming Ulster Final against Donegal, which opens for the Men’s final, gives the players the ‘perfect opportunity’ to show what they can do in front of a huge crowd.
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00:01Naheem, first and foremost, obviously the last day out, things didn't go to plan.
00:05How's the reaction been in the group since the league final?
00:07Yeah, I suppose you have to take the learnings from it.
00:10Obviously really disappointed and yeah, wasn't how we wanted to turn up.
00:14And against probably our own standards, we just weren't at it in that sense.
00:20But yeah, we'll learn from it and hopefully take the learnings and bring them into this championship.
00:25Yeah, and Darnell Parkinson said after the game, you don't become a bad team overnight.
00:29Is that probably the message that it was?
00:31Of course, as you said, you take the learnings from it, but it was just a bad day at the office.
00:34Yeah, I suppose it was.
00:35And then you look at how probably different things you've done and could do better.
00:40So yeah, bad day at the office, as Darnell rightly said.
00:45But yeah, definitely things that were in our control, which is something that we've looked at and hopefully will rectify.
00:51And what positives do you take from the league campaign as a whole?
00:54Obviously a lot of new faces come in, especially at the start of the league and made their mark
00:57and just adds to the depth of the team, doesn't it?
00:59Yeah, completely. I think that was the main thing.
01:01Getting younger girls and even newer girls into the panel, solid game time in Division 1 against the top teams.
01:07And in really tight games, not just sort of coming in to see a game out or whatever.
01:11They're really coming in to sort of maybe change a game, which they did.
01:15So that was probably the main thing.
01:17And like you see the likes of Mia Ferguson getting in the team of the league is a prime example of that.
01:21Just somebody who's working really hard and a younger player sort of putting their own sort of stamp on the team and on that position.
01:28So yeah, that was the main thing from the league.
01:30And like we had some really good moments during the league, but it's probably just, yeah, then looking forward to turn that into a 60-minute performance.
01:37Yeah, and of course the only goal in the Ulster final, you've had some epic battles, I think it's fair to say, in the last three finals with them.
01:42And you're going to expect another tight game, aren't you?
01:44Yeah, definitely. Like you said, it's always close.
01:48I think the last few have only been won by a point or two, nearly every one.
01:52So yeah, you know how tough it's going to be and you know sort of what you're coming up against.
01:57And having that familiarity can be good and bad, but yeah, we'll prepare as best we can and we'll look forward to it.
02:04It's going to be a great occasion, isn't it? Opening, of course, for the men's final.
02:07I'm sure there'll be a massive crowd in for the game and that's something to look forward to.
02:10Yeah, it's huge, like especially in the ladies games, like that's what you want.
02:13You want numbers there and you want the support there and with Ironman Donegal men playing after.
02:17Perfect opportunity and fair play to Ulster GA and LGFF for organising it.
02:22Hopefully it'll be a really good day for all Ironman Donegal supporters and like two really good games
02:27and two good showcases to put on on the day.
02:29Yeah, and winning an Ulster title, of course, is a big achievement.
02:32How would that sort of set you up then in terms of momentum, taking that into the All-Ireland series?
02:37Yeah, it'd be huge. I think probably that's what we need and a win after losing the league final
02:42and probably losing the last two league games as well on top of that, I think a win is massive for us.
02:47And yeah, no better time to do that and sort of we'll look at the performance and we'll want the performance
02:53and hopefully on the back of that comes the win.