Cork coach Eamonn Ryan expressed delight with Cork's second half display in their All-Ireland ladies football final victory over Monaghan at Croke Park. Ryan claimed the history-making Rebelettes "played into Monaghan's hands" in the first half, but was pleased with the improvement in the side after half-time. "We probably played into their hands. We didn't off-load the ball quickly enough and they 'clustered us.' We were a bit disappointed to have conceded eight points. "We had set a target of maybe five. There was no blocking or intercepting going and our play wasn't flowing the way we normally play," he said. "I thought we got a fortuitous first goal and admittedly we missed a few chances around the same time. The penalty I couldn't see - and that's not a cop-out - and I didn't see the second goal either." Ryan was full of praise for his players, saying that it "never ceased to amaze him" that the girls accepted "everything they threw at them" in training. Star forward Valerie Mulcahy, who top-scored with 3-2, insisted there was no panic in the dressing room at half-time when the favourites led by just three points. "Things were quite calm at half-time. We were only three points up and not playing great. We knew what was ahead of us. We were all mature enough to raise our standards and we did thankfully. "Winning our fourth title is a huge achievement, brilliant. We work so hard each year to raise the bar. It's a super squad," she added. Tweet

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