‘Pressure is completely off’ – Kelly
The Oran team celebrating their county final win.
When Oran ended their 22 year wait for county senior camogie honours, the scenes afterwards were simply unforgettable.
Even for a neutral observer, the outpouring of joy from players, mentors and supporters alike was a reminder of the importance of the GAA and camogie for a community.
In that regard the month long period without a competitive fixture might be a help with manager Colm Kelly able to give his players the following week off while watching their Connacht Intermediate final opponents Ahascragh/Caltra battle to secure their first county title at this grade since 2008.
With Oran set to compete in the All Ireland junior series even if they lose on Saturday, there is a sense that the mid Roscommon side can approach this game with a degree of abandon.
Oran manager Colm Kelly insists the determination to try and secure a provincial crown will ensure the county final success will be put on the backburner. But he feels his side can approach this game with a sense of freedom especially with his side guaranteed an All Ireland semi final regardless of the outcome this Saturday.
“The pressure is completely off. We can take the shackles off and play with freedom. You are still representing your county though so you want to win every game and title that you can. In Connacht finals you want to be competitive. Connacht titles aren’t something you get a chance to win every day, so we still want to go out and perform.
“The Connacht Championship was the furthest thing from our minds. We wanted to win the county final. The best thing about coming out is that you get to play in a highly competitive environment, and you don’t know anything about it. It is totally new. The landscape is totally new. It is brilliant.
“The girls are out training for Connachts and All Irelands so it makes the winters that bit shorter as well which is super. They are still all getting on well and there is still that bit of banter coming to training, so it is great,” he noted.
Oran face a sizeable challenge as they travel to Fohenagh to face an Ahascragh/Caltra side that won their county final 1-11 to 0-5 against Killimor. On that occasion, they only shipped two points from open play and conceded just a solitary score in the final half.
Kelly admits his side face a daunting challenge but feels his group must relish the chance to compete against Galway opposition.
“I think it is great to play a Galway team. When you play teams at a higher level it can only benefit you. We are going in as serious underdogs. The girls won’t have any fear, and they will be out to prove a point. It is tough playing against Galway opposition especially away, but we will give it a go,” he explained.
*Four Roads will play Tooreen in their Pat Barrett Cup semi final at 2 p.m. on Saturday in Tooreen. Pádraig Pearses will travel to face Westport in the Rose Nixon Cup semi final on Saturday with that game throwing in at 1 p.m..*
