Maxi Curran backing Moneyglass to bounce back from All-Ireland heartbreak

Maxi Curran believes Moneyglass will bounce back after their defeat to Kilkerrin-Clonberne in the LGFA senior All-Ireland final.

The Antrim and Ulster champions competed well in the opening half at Croke Park, but a decisive 15-minute spell after the break proved costly as reigning champions Kilkerrin-Clonberne pulled clear. 

The Galway side would eventually run out 2-8 to 1-5 winners, securing a fifth consecutive All-Ireland crown.

Even so, Curran took positives from the performance of his youthful squad, who were appearing in their first All-Ireland final against one of the strongest teams in the country.

"It was disappointing, but we knew it was going to be a massive challenge,” he said.  

“You don't go on a run of five years and 53-odd games unbeaten and not have a serious level of quality in their group and that's what they have.

 "Experience is a big thing and we didn't have very much of it and they have a bucketful of it, but ultimately their quality shone through in the end. 

“We made too many unforced errors, whether that be nerves or what not but that was the difference. "We made more mistakes, and they were clinical and whatever mistakes they did make we didn't punish them as they did to us. 'Hopefully it is the start of something'"

At the beginning of the season, few would have predicted that the five-time Antrim champions would make it all the way to Croke Park.

In November, Moneyglass captured their first-ever Ulster title in emphatic fashion, defeating Errigal Ciaran 3-10 to 0-6 in the provincial final. 

Buoyed by that success, they went on to cause an upset in the All-Ireland semi-final, edging Kilmacud Crokes by 1-12 to 1-10 who had Donegal star Niamh Carr in their ranks. 

While overcoming fellow trailblazers Kilkerrin-Clonberne ultimately proved beyond them this time, Curran was eager to highlight the overall success of the campaign and believes the experience will fuel future progress.

"Hopefully it is the start of something. It is a very young team and a very young group, and you'd like to think there is more to come," he continued. 

"We're immensely proud of what the girls have done, they have brought a lot of pride to the parish, to Antrim and the province. It was a big scalp to get past Kilmacud and even Clann Eireann in the Ulster semi-final. "When the dust settles and they look at their Ulster medals, hopefully they will feel proud of what they've done. 

“Getting the Ulster monkey off our back was huge this year and that will surely give us a bit of confidence. I think the future is very bright for Moneyglass."