Kindlon says Monaghan are still hungry to win

Monaghan's Niamh Kindlon

GIVEN Monaghan’s standing as annual contenders for the Ladies National Football League crown, it’s somewhat surprising that it has been a remarkable 11 years since the Farney county last contested the decider.

On that occasion, Monaghan lost out to Clare in very windy conditions at St Loman’s Mullingar by a single goal, 2-10 to 1-10. Only two Monaghan players remain from that defeat, Lavina Connolly and Niamh Kindlon, as they prepare to tackle the might of all-conquering Cork this weekend.

In the interim, Kindlon has had something of a roller-coaster ride. The highs of Monaghan’s successes have been matched with the lows of two separate cruciate injuries in recent years, but the attacker has made her return to fitness and form to lead the line for Monaghan this season.

Having helped her side see off a fancied Dublin outfit in the semi-final, Kindlon now has the Rebelettes in her sights as she heads for Parnell Park this Saturday afternoon.

The evergreen attacker will once again be the focal point for the Oriel outfit on the edge of the opposition square, and although many of the faces around her have changed over the last decade, she insists that the ethos of the Monaghan side is the same as it always has been, no matter who fills those white and blue jerseys.

“It’s only when you take time to cast your mind back that you realise how much things have changed. When you see the likes of Jenny Greenan and Jennifer Traynor at our game last week and watching it, it only seems like yesterday that they were battling out on the field alongside us.

“It’s a changed dressing room, there are a lot of different faces, but the one thing that stays the same is that we’re all there for the same reason, because the desire to play for Monaghan and to do well for Monaghan is still as strong as it ever was.”

The full story is in the current issue of Gaelic Life, published Thursday May 10. Buy your copy now in your newsagent, or online by clicking the subscribe button on this page