Maebh Corrigan backs Tyrone to overcome dissapointment ahead of All-Ireland

Michael Bolton

Tyrone’s Maebh Corrigan has backed her county to overcome recent defeats in big occasions ahead of the start of the All-Ireland Championship.

It has been a difficult season so far for Tyrone, with relegation from Division One followed by a narrow defeat to Down in the Ulster Intermediate semi-final.

Last season ended in heartbreak as Tyrone lost the Intermediate All-Ireland final by a single point.

They will compete in Group Two, alongside Westmeath and fellow Ulster side Down.

While Corrigan admitted the defeats were hard to take, she is confident Tyrone can learn from their mistakes.

“It does stick with you coming into this year. Whenever you are playing in Croke Park on those big occasions, there is such a build-up, but you’re not getting a result out of it.

“It shows that playing in Croke Park is brilliant, but winning in Croke Park is more important. We have that in the back of our minds this year.

“The Intermediate Championship is just so competitive—this year more so than any other—so you can’t look past the first game.”

In a season where many teams have lost experienced players and undergone significant squad overhauls, Tyrone have retained much of their panel from last season.

With game management in big matches a key focus, Corrigan believes keeping the core of the squad together will be an advantage, but warned they must learn from last season’s failings.

“We have a very similar panel this year to last year, so we have to learn from it. There’s no other choice.

“If we go out and do the same thing this year, we’re not going to get a result from it. In terms of player turnover, this is probably the year our squad has remained the most consistent compared to previous years.

“Hopefully, we can use that to our advantage. We have to play to our strengths, and hopefully it will help that we’ve all played together at that level.”

Meath and Kildare are two teams that have provided a template for success at the Intermediate level before making their mark in senior competition.

For Corrigan, whether it’s Tyrone or another team, she is confident that whoever wins the All-Ireland will be a side to be reckoned with at senior level.

“The Intermediate Championship is so competitive, and a lot of teams are in a position to push on to the senior scene.

“Meeting those teams in the league—we lost by a point to Dublin, we stayed with Kerry and Armagh in the first half—shows that we’re capable of keeping up with those strong Division One senior teams. It’s just about making that breakthrough.

“I think any team that makes it to the latter stages of the Intermediate Championship this season has a good chance of competing at senior because the standard is so high.”