Mick Bohan, the Dublin Ladies Manager has revealed that all the members of the squad are fully double vaccinated against Covid as preparations reach a peak for Sunday’s TG$ sponsored All Ireland Championship Finals Day at Croke Park.

Questions of player vaccination have been to the fore in relation to major sporting events in recent weeks, including last Sunday’s All Ireland Men’s semi-final between Tyrone and Kerry, across the English Premier League and for Stephen Kenny and the Republic of Ireland Squad.

“We did not make it a requirement but the group kind of decided as individuals and together that this was the right thing to do,” Bohan told us at the weekend.

“We made the information available to them and they made the call. Thirteen of the group are working in different healthcare settings and I think it was in part out of respect for them that some made the decision.”

Close Contact

“We also have a number of teachers and with schools back this week, the regulations around close contact and the difference between being vaccinated or not was also a consideration for them.”

“We lost a couple of players for periods in the summer who had to isolate over close contacts and I don’t think anyone wanted to miss out on this weekend above all.”

“It will be special getting back to playing in front of a big crowd and for the players to have their friends and family near them again this year. Last year was great to win of course but it did not feel the same to do so in front of an empty stadium.”

“They are a special group of players and we are looking forward to the day.”

Bohan’s Meath counterpart Eamonn Ryan is equally in a relaxed frame of mind ahead of the game but admitted yesterday to never really wanting the job.

Producing Good Players

“I always loved working in the underage setup in Meath, I loved producing good players for the seniors. When I was asked to manage the senior team, I said, ‘No, I don’t want it,” he said.

He was eventually persuaded though and has brought together a strong team around him to whom he gives a lot of credit for bringing the team to a point which is a long way from when they last met Dublin in 2016.

“Meath football was in a bad place and I wanted people with a smile on their face, to lift them.”

“We were nearly relegated to Division Four and had conceded a huge score (7-22) against Cork in 2015 so a lot of players did not want to play.”

“I had to work hard to persuade them and we took it almost a week at a time to get the senior players into the group we have now.”

Nothing to Lose

Looking ahead now to Sunday he added that “We’re really looking forward to it, nothing to lose at all. I mean, really, nothing to lose. It’s all a bonus for us.”

The guts and determination they showed to come back from the dead against Cork in the semi-final suggest they will not be there on Sunday to make up the numbers, and in Emma Duggan and Vicki Wall they have two of the finest young talents in the game.

The two managers were brought together for a media session yesterday by AIG as proud Official Insurance Partner to the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and to the Dublin team. It is calling on fans to get behind their respective counties for the occasion.

The 2021 All-Ireland Finals will see Croke Park welcome 40,000 fans from across the country back to the stadium. For those who will be unable to make it to the venue, all matches will be broadcast live on TG4. Wicklow and Antrim will be opening up the day in the Junior Final at 11.45 am, followed by Westmeath and Wexford who face off in the Intermediate Final at 1.45 pm before the Senior Final at 4.15 pm.

AIG is also extending a 15 per cent discount on all home and motor insurance to all members of the LFGA.

“AIG is proud to partner with both the Dublin Ladies Gaelic Football Association and the LGFA and we look forward to a highly anticipated senior final on Sunday,” said General manager for Ireland Aidan Connaughton. “We have always been passionate supporters of the communities we serve across Ireland and of diversity, equity and inclusion, backing women’s sport for a number of years.”

“All of Sunday’s finals will draw great crowds and be shown live to a national audience that will get to witness the great skills of these talented athletes and teams who are competing for the silverware and we wish all the teams, players and officials across junior, intermediate and senior levels, the very best of luck.”

 

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