Park-Ratheniska's Richie Hitchcock looks ahead to Friday evening's Laois GAA Intermediate final

Park-Ratheniska captain Richie Hitchcock is gearing up for what promises to be an intense showdown on Friday as his team prepares for the Intermediate Football final against Arles-Kilcruise.

The squad is focused on building momentum and hopes to deliver a performance that rewards the dedication of the club and its supporters.

“It's exciting times. It was great to get back down to the field this week. It's exciting times for everyone involved in the club and particularly those close to the first team. It's nice to see we have a good minor set up there at the moment. Some very, very good chaps on that team as well. So, look, if we can get back up to the senior ranks, it would be a great step for them to be able to step straight up into the senior set-up. For us as players, we just have to keep our head down now over the next few days and not get carried away with the outside noise, so to speak. That's kind of where we are now at the minute,” he said.

Hitchcock reflected on the semi-final win over Ballylinan, highlighting how the team adapted to challenging conditions to secure a commanding victory.

“It was a bit of a mad game. The heavy breeze probably spoiled the game to a certain degree. It was hard to know before whether you were better off going with the wind or against it. We went against it in the first half, and it seemed to just switch everybody on to say, we'll just hang in this until half-time and see what way we're fixed. Once everyone kind of switched on to that, and we started to run the ball, it actually suited us. I don't think we were expecting to get four goals in the first half, but when they're there for the taking, you'll take them,” Hitchcock said.

The captain also praised the impact of Cian Nolan, whose scoring prowess has been a key factor for the team all year.

“Cian has been an important player for us all year. He's really kind of come into his own this year and stepped up. Even during the league, we were under a bit of pressure, and he was probably the man you looked towards. It's great to see him kind of putting up those sorts of scores. If you look at the games across the whole weekend and the way games went with the wind, generally it was the team that was playing against the wind that seemed to be the team that was nearly on the front foot, which is strange enough. But look, as I said, whatever the conditions are the next day, you'll just have to play to them. Hopefully, there won't be a gale-force wind or anything like that, which might make the game more interesting,” he said.

Hitchcock also addressed how the team has evolved since their opening round win over Arles-Kilcruise, stressing the need for focus and preparation.

“We'll get the homework done. We're under absolutely no illusions that they'll have improved from the last day. I'd like to think we've also improved from the last day. Even going back to the last game, I know it was a wide margin and we won't put ourselves under any illusions to say this is here in the bag for us. We just have to keep our heads down, get the homework done, keep our focus and go out and inflict our game on them. As I said, look, they're an experienced team and they won't go down without a fight. It is hard to beat a team twice in a championship, but look, that's the challenge ahead of us and we're looking forward to it,” he said.

Finally, Hitchcock considered where the match could be decided, acknowledging the unpredictability of a final.

“Games will generally take their own path and you kind of have to adapt to that. You can go out with your strategies, but the game kind of takes a life of its own. Look, the game is going to be in the melting pot for a big chunk of it and it's going to come down to whichever team is firing on the day. Particularly in and around that middle eight, both teams seem to have forwards that can score if they're allowed to score. It'll be a chess match and no finals are ever easily won. It’s hard to say where exactly it will be won, but hopefully we can come out on the right side of it,” Hitchcock ended.

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