Muireann Devaney has no words to describe Leitrim's semi-final joy

You know how much Leitrim’s victory means when an accomplished speaker like Muireann Devaney admits that she is lost for words after the Green & Gold’s dramatic TG4 LGFA All-Ireland Intermediate Championship Semi-Final victory over Wexford, as the dual sports star repeatedly says “there are absolutely no words”!

Top scorer on the day with 2-1 and providing the assist for Leitrim’s third goal, Devaney admitted she was delighted to see Wexford’s free attempt to send the game to extra time drift inches wide: “Absolutely delighted, there are absolutely no words for that, I don’t know what to say. 

“If it did go to extra-time, we wouldn’t have panicked, Jonny would have settled us back down but I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t delighted when it curled out to the left and wide.”

For someone who has donned the Green of Ireland in International soccer and made Teams of the Year, it was refreshing to see Muireann so excited by the prospect of playing in Croke Park after she returned this year to the Leitrim colours after two years concentrating on soccer and club commitments with Glencar Manorhamilton.

Asked if she thought she’d be playing in Croke Park so quickly after her return to the Leitrim team, Muireann said “I’m not going to lie - if somebody had told me I was going to be in Croke Park come August, I would have taken their arm off! No, I probably didn’t think we were going to do much but I have no words for the feeling I have right now, I am absolutely just delighted.

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“I’m just delighted for the stalwarts of this team like Michelle Guckian, Clare Owens, Charlene Tyrell, all those girls. There are no words to describe those girls - there are mums on the team, it is easy for the likes of me whose mother makes my dinner but there are mums on the team so I am absolutely over the team for them and I just can’t wait to get to Croke Park.”

Muireann buried the crucial first goal in added time at the end of the first half after her initial effort and one from Niamh Tighe was blocked by the Wexford defence and the Leitrim forward felt the goal came at just the right time: “I just remember it fell to me and I said I’ve scored harder ones and I’ll go for it.

“If it had gone wide, there would have been no words from any of the management - they always say if the shot is on, take it. The goal just settled us down going into halftime, we needed something to settle us down and it proved crucial there come the end.”

She also admitted that nerves played a part in Leitrim’s struggles to reflect their outfield dominance on the scoreboard: “We kicked a lot of wides and wasted a lot of chances but on big days, there are going to be nerves. Leitrim don’t get to days like this too often and speaking for myself, and I know for the rest of the girls, there was a lot of nerves there. 

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“We tried our best to settle back down and we did enough to get over the line and I couldn’t be prouder of the team, Jonny, Dermot, Fergal, it is going to live long in the memory and I can’t wait to get to Croke Park.”

Leitrim will meet Tyrone in the Final and Muireann is relishing the prospect: “Tyrone is going to be a tough battle. We’ve been there before, we’ll have no fear going in. Jonny will train us well for the next few weeks and we have all to play for. We’ll probably be underdogs again, they’re in top form but we’ll give it absolutely everything.”