Geraldine McLaughlin on cloud nine as she credits special bond to Termon's success

There was no stopping Geraldine McLaughlin yet again as she put in a Player of the Match performance for Termon that saw her tally 3-5 in the Donegal LGFA senior final against Moville last Sunday in O’Donnell Park. 

It was a third senior crown in-a-row for the ladies from the Burn Road as they cruised to a 7-12 to 1-8 win over their Inishowen opponents in a match that Termon dominated from start to finish. 

Experience proved to be key for the ladies in maroon and white, with Termon settling quickly into a game that really never caught fire, as they built up a steady lead, one which they never relinquished.  

“It’s an unreal feeling, we had a short build-up to the final but you know what, there was never any pressure on us,” McLaughlin said regarding her side’s preparations for last Sunday’s final.  

“We trained hard and we knew it was ours to lose but we have a good team and a good panel, so it was just a matter of going out and performing the best we could. 

“At the start of the game, we were against the wind, that helped us because we knew we had to be focused and couldn’t let Moville get ahead early, so, I think that helped us and once we got a few scores on the board, we kept building and we never stopped.” 

McLaughlin was causing bother in the early stages, despite being double-marked by Niamh Cavanagh and Erin Leech. But even with close attention being paid to the inside forward, it never once bothered her, with the former Donegal player admitting that she had talent around her to take the mantle. 

“When you have the talent of forwards that we have, it’s probably hard to mark them, and at the same time, I think we’ve really clicked in the forward line the last few games when you look at our goal tally, and that all comes from the work rate and movement from the girls,” she said. 

“Every goal that we got was well worked, the passing was excellent, as was the finishing, and I don’t think they were easy either, we had to work for all the goals but it does make it slightly easier when you have players like the ones I have around me.” 

It’s now nine ladies’ titles for Termon having won their first in 2010, but with the club continuously growing, and the hunger still there, she doesn’t feel that the team is going to stop anytime soon, with McLaughlin admitting that their ninth win on Sunday was as enjoyable as their first. 

“It’s nine championships for our club now,” she said. “We treasure all of them, they’re all as special as the next, and when you look around and see the support, it gives me goosebumps, because the fans, the young people, and the workers in the club, we’re playing for them. 

“Sometimes we might forget that the young boys and girls see us as their heroes, and when I see them here, it reminds us why we play for this club. I was looking up to senior players when I was younger, they were my heroes and we’re just carrying on the tradition and doing it for the club. 

“You see the crowds that come to the games now, it’s night and day compared to 10 years ago even. People are talking about it, the games are exciting, there are more games to see, and there’s better coverage, and that all helps the game. 

“Even the supporters here today, it’s not just young girls coming to games anymore, it’s young boys too, and that all helps in terms of growing and supporting the game. 

“I think in terms of talent we have in Termon, we’re constantly growing as a club, we have young players coming into the senior squad and they’re pushing us on the entire time and demand the highest of standards.  

“Today we had subs coming on as good as some of the players on the starting team, so, it’s not a team we have anymore, it’s a panel and that makes us better.”