Bronagh Devlin happy with Antrim's response to All-Ireland final defeat

Michael Bolton

Antrim captain Bronagh Devlin said she is happy with how Antrim responded after losing the Ladies All-Ireland Junior Football final last year.

Antrim lost out to Louth last August, and they will play the Leinster side once again in Saturday's Division Three final on Saturday in Crossmaglen.

While it could have been difficult for Antrim to pick themselves back up, Antrim responded how all good teams do, as they finished second in Division Three.

Speaking at the launch of the finals, Devlin said the team was determined to come back strong.

"We didn't lose much, so it shows the commitment there.

"It is good that defeat didn't set us back at all.  You get to finals, you win some and lose some; it was nice to push on in the league and get promotion.

"You don't get to a final for no reason. We worked hard, and it just did not work on that day for us. It is another final where we have worked hard for it.

"Hopefully, it will be a kickstart to some silverware this season."

In one of the storylines of the season for Ladies Football, the new rules have brought a new dimension to the game.

Similar to what was seen in the men's game last season, the speed and more space have provided more entertainment and higher-scoring games.

For Devlin, the solo and go for free-kicks has been a welcome change, while also keeping the team on their toes.

"It is harder sometimes to stop other teams taking advantage, but it has been really enjoyable.

"The last 10 minutes of the game, they used to be park the bus, but the new rules take away from that. You can keep playing direct football.

"You knew that was going to happen, so you had to train your tactics around that. The tap and go, the speed it keeps at keeps you thinking as well."

The league finals have shown that the gap is very little between the third and fourth divisions.

This is Antrim's second promotion in a row, while having not been able to get out of the Junior championship. Their opponents, Louth, will play Division Two football next season after winning their third Junior title in 10 years.

"Going up to Division Three this year, there is no gap between Division Three and Four at all.

"It was still nice to be playing at a higher division, but you are pushing on for next year."