I actually don't know what I'm going to do on Wednesday says Leitrim goalkeeper Michelle Monaghan

It says something for the bond between teammates that one of the first thoughts that leapt into Michelle Monaghan’s mind was that she was going to miss her teammates because there would be no training this week after Leitrim’s dramatic TG4 LGFA All-Ireland IFC Final victory over Tyrone in Croke Park.

The St Francis clubwoman made a huge save in the first half at a time when Tyrone were threatening to open up a big gap but Michelle chose to highlight the bond between the players in the Leitrim camp: “ I just can’t put into words how hard working those girls are, I actually don’t know what I’m going to do on Wednesday when I don’t have to go to the Centre of Excellence and see them. We are such good friends and that is really the focal point of the group.”

Michelle had a brilliant view of the countdown clock as the game entered the final moments as she admitted she was relieved to hear the buzzer: “I suppose just relieved to see the buzzer going, I had a look at the clock and saw there was about 30 seconds left and I said I’m going to take my time taking this kickout and just hoofed it as far as I could. I could hear all the kids up at the game, counting down and I just knew we had it at that stage - just ecstatic!”

Asked about her stop from Caitlin Campbell, Michelle downplayed her role: “I was just lucky - when I see a ball coming in like that, I try to make myself as big as possible and just throw myself in front of it. Thank God, it just hit off me and I was lucky Kasey was there to collect it.”

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One save did get away on her when a punched clearance fell to Aoife Horisk for Tyrone’s second goal: “I thought I got enough on it but we just didn’t have enough people back at that stage to maybe collect it and work it out.”

Certainly the game ended in a welter of excitement but to Michelle, it only reinforced the self-belief of the group and the work put into them by Jonny Garrity and his management team: “We have to make it worth the money to come to it I suppose!” Michelle joked, “But that is one thing about this group of girls, when the going gets tough, they never throw in the towel.

“They are so resilient and that is down to the management. They really have put that belief into us and it has paid off today. I just can’t actually believe it!”

Michelle admitted that she enjoyed the build up to the final: “It was fantastic to see, everybody got behind us in the county. Obviously there is a bit of pressure to it as well but you have to enjoy these things, they don’t come around too often. 

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“I’m playing with Leitrim I think, my maths could be wrong here, about 12 years and this is my first time, as it is for a lot of the girls, to play in Croke Park so you just have to enjoy the occasion, the build-up and obviously park it to one side when you get in here because you have a job to do as well.”