WATCH | “Stop playing with fear” | Jimmy Lee on what was said during the SFC final as Newcastle West dethroned Adare

Newcastle West claimed a fifth ever title on Friday evening as they beat Adare in the SFC Final in the TUS Gaelic Grounds.

A late surge was enough to see off the defending champions as the Magpies secured a second title in three years with the 1-8 to 0-5 win.

The Magpies were able to contain Adare for large spells of the game, containing the champions to just two points from play over the course of the hour before hitting 1-4 themselves in the final quarter alone.

Speaking on his sides win, Jimmy Lee praised the ‘hunger’ his side showed after a lacklustre start.

“That’s a talented bunch of players there and there’s a talented bunch behind them, so they had to fight for their place and they proved that tonight, they fought for everything.

“We’re extremely happy tonight, obviously with winning, but plus the fact that they stood up to the plate when needed and everything we asked of them, they’ve done, we’re extremely proud of them.

“The lads wanted it, and you have to have the hunger to want it.

We have 12 or 13 dual players out there, there’s soccer players, there’s rugby players, there’s hurlers so they’re a talented bunch whatever they do, whatever the ball is”

The first half was far from a classic one with neither side able to get into the contest. Both teams seemed content with neutralizing the others that made for a sub par spectacle for those in attendance.

And with just three scores on the board by Newcastle West at the half, the message from Lee was a simple one.

“Take the shackles off, stop playing with fear”

But the key difference in the sides was Newcastle West’s strength in depth as substitutes Diarmuid Kelly and AJ O’Connor kicked 1-2 between them, the goal coming from O’Connor with the game in the melting pot with five to play.

“AJ is a talented player, extremely talented… every time we turned to the bench we were getting more off it and AJ proved that. It was very 50/50 weather they were going to be starting or not, everything we turned to we were happy with who was going on.”

Newcastle West will now have a six week break before they entertain the Waterford champions in the Munster quarter-final on December 4/5.

Watch the post-match interview in full with Lee below.

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