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29th August 2021
10:55am BST

"I worried during the game. I worried we would run out of gas in the second half. I worried about extra-time. I've worried the whole week, I've worried the whole month."But, you can't coach character and resilience. In fairness to these guys, and everything that's gone before, they've built up a bank of fitness. "These guys are serious operators. It would shock me, coming in from an era where we just weren't as physically tuned. I've worried for a month, I'm going to try and take a day out of worry maybe." Brian Dooher admitted that he was unsure how the players managed to put in the shift that they did."Listen, it's a minor miracle that those guys were fit to do what they did. If there is any impression that it wasn't men down low with Covid, blightness, then it's wrong.
"We didn't know what way boys would go in the second half. We weren't sure would they stick it out. Some boys actually surprised us today. What they've been through, it doesn't add up... "It's a credit to our coaches, Collie, Joey and Peter, who have the boys in good shape. And our medical team for getting the boys re-integrated gradually."They haven't been over-trained. We didn't until the start of the season. The team has been built up as it went along. They have something inside them there that you can't coach. They have this real resilience. "This 'never say die' attitude. We're just glad they have it. You can do whatever you want on the field, but if you don't have that."
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