Berry delighted as Westmeath claim Leinster title

Westmeath minor ladies football manager Ken Berry was full of pride and praise after his side captured the Leinster Minor 'C' title with an impressive victory over Offaly at Baltinglass on Saturday.

“I’m absolutely delighted," said Ken Berry after the final whistle. "After playing Offaly three weeks ago, we knew we were the two best teams in this division by far. And we knew today was going to be a battle from the start. We got the start today that they got three weeks ago in Rochfortbridge. I think we were six points up."

Offaly responded strongly, using the significant breeze at their backs to get right back into the contest.

“They got two points and they got three goals, and they were playing down the hill here with the strong breeze: I don't know if they were shots for goals, but they went straight into the roof of the net. All of a sudden they're back in the game. We got a couple of scores before half-time. We were two down then at half-time," Berry recalled.

The strong wind was a major factor on the day, but Berry was full of admiration for the way his girls handled the conditions and produced some outstanding football after the break.

"Yes, we've been a great second half team all year. In the last couple of games we seemed to start slow and we were really working on that last week. And we got out of the blocks today and scored 1-4," he said.

"In the second half, we knew we had to stay in the game. When they got on top against us in the second period of the first half, we learned that. And we said at half-time, just keep the scoreboard ticking along. And they did that, to be fair."

A crucial second half moment came when Westmeath goalkeeper Emily Nally produced a vital save to deny Offaly a goal. "Emily - she wasn't feeling well this morning. She was very close to not starting. She said she was okay and we trusted her and her kick-outs today were excellent, both with the wind and against the wind in the first half," Berry said.

One forward in particular caught the eye, with Katie Kilmurray once more leading the way. "We've got a great set of forwards. The calibre of players we have in this group is excellent," continued Berry,

The two second half goals proved vital, giving Westmeath some breathing space at a time when the game was delicately poised. "Yeah, it was never an eight-point win; even there in the last two or three minutes I was never happy or comfortable. But we got the goals at the right time. We got another couple of chances there," Berry said.

He also praised the composure shown by his players in a tense second half. "I warned them at half-time, don't force this. Because obviously they had four or five balls over the end line in the first half. Don't go forcing it. Take our time. Be patient," he revealed

"They are a great bunch of girls. They've trained since December, three nights a week. And they work very hard. That's a credit to their parents and their clubs."

Berry also highlighted the strength of his management team behind the scenes. "We have a great management team. Carole Finch from Mullingar Shamrocks and Michelle Baker from Caulry. We've Damien ‘Boots’ Molloy from Kinnegad and Adam Kavanagh from Rochfortbridge doing the S&C. And then the two main women in the whole set-up are Katharine Ross from Moate and Mary Quigley from Caulry. They just looked after the girls, unbelievable. They're part of it. Everything we wanted, it was just done for us. All year. Fair to the county board. Anything we asked for this year, we got it."

Looking ahead, Berry is already plotting Westmeath’s next move with an All-Ireland semi-final appearance on the horizon.

"We're in an All-Ireland semi-final. I think on the July 9. There's a break now obviously with exams. But we set a goal out that we wanted to compete in All-Ireland this year. That was the goal when we were doing trials. We said that to the girls."