Tribe Return to Face the Dubs in Senior All Ireland Ladies Final
Sunday's TG4 All Ireland Ladies Football Final brings together the novel pairing of Galway and Dublin to Croke Park, with the Jackies going for their third consecutive Brendan Martin success. Galway are seeking their second title having defeated Sunday's opponents in 2004 on a score of 3-8 to 0-11. With the Camogie team having powered their way to a fantastic win and the ladies semi-final victory over Mayo, completing a championship double over their nearest rivals, optimism is high in the West that this young emerging team can provide a shock.
The manner of their win over Mayo will have given great confidence to the Tribes' women. Mairéad Seoighe got Galway off to the best possible start hitting a goal on three minutes and a second on the fifteen-minute mark. Mayo, ever resilient, put Galway to the proverbial pin of their collar, reeling in the deficit with goals of their own and took the lead in the second half. The sides were level coming down the home stretch with three minutes to go when Roisín Leonard stepped up to take a late pressure-free and sent it over the bar. Galway led with just over a minute to go and managed to hang on for a deserved place in the final. Mairéad Seoighe, Roisín Leonard and Tracey Leonard will all have a big part to play in Sunday's decider. The contribution of Louise Ward, Megan Glynn and Olivia Divilly in carrying the ball up the field is a key part of their game plan. A notable feature of the Galway semi-final win was their accuracy and shot selection, kicking only seven wides. For manager Tim Rabbitt, this appearance in Croke Park is a combination of three years' work and he praised the contribution of others in the background including Mike Comer, Noel Kelly and Stephen Glennon in progressing the team thus far.
Victory over Cork means Dublin have reached their sixth All-Ireland final in a row. This season they have built their momentum steadily since an opening day league loss to Donegal. That was followed by five wins on the bounce before Cork defeated them twice at the end of April on their way to the League title.
Since then, Dublin are unbeaten, accounting for Westmeath, Waterford, Monaghan, and Kerry before exacting their revenge on Cork. Cork featuring only seven of the panel that started the 2016 All-Ireland final against the Dubs came undone by the All Ireland champions strength and power. Caoimhe O'Connor's goal proved decisive in the semi-final, and she was ably assisted by Niamh McEvoy and Noëlle Healy who came off the bench to feature. Dublin will be looking to the consistent dead ball form of Sinead Ahern whose last-minute penalty added a gloss to the score line against Cork. In manager Michael Bohan, Dublin have one of the most innovative and well-respected coaches around and he needed all his experience and guile in the semi-final, with injuries and sin bins causing a few anxious moments on the touchline.
Intermediate LGFA Final Pits Meath Against Tipp
There is a pattern emerging in Intermediate finals with losing teams returning the following year tougher, wiser and determined to win. In this Sunday's Intermediate decider, last year's finalists Meath will aim to learn from that loss to Tyrone. Meath won their semi-final in style against Roscommon, with four goals from Emma Duggan, Orla Byrne, Fiona O'Neill and Vicki Wall decisive, ensuring a bruising seventeen-point winning margin in Nowlan Park.
2017 Champions Tipperary are back in the final on the back of a ten-point win over Sligo in their semi-final. They will look to the experience of Aisling McCarthy, Aishling Moloney, and Caoimhe Condon to power their challenge and draw on their experience. Around half the likely starting fifteen featured two years ago in their last All Ireland success and that winning feeling can be called on to good effect.
Junior Final: Louth v Fermanagh
This season, Louth won back to back Leinster titles with their final win against Carlow, who they defeated again in the qualifying round. The Wee ladies built some real momentum and confidence by seeing off a determined Antrim outfit by a solitary late point from Kate Flood. Susan Byrne, Michelle McMahon, Rebecca Carr, and Niamh Rice are all key operators for the Wee county.
Fermanagh boss Jonny Garrity has set Fermanagh on an upward curve with promotion to Division Three after winning the league final against Ulster rivals Antrim. Antrim got revenge in the Ulster final, but Fermanagh's championship form has been good as they qualify for a second Junior final in three years following a win over an experienced London side featuring a few familiar faces. Eimear Smyth, Blaithin Bogue, and captain Joanne Doonan provide the smarts upfront for the only Ulster team in Sunday's showpiece. In defense, the likes of Aisling Maguire, Molly McGloin, and Courtney Murphy form a resolute barrier to Louth's progress.
Sunday, September 15:
TG4 All-Ireland Junior Championship Final: Fermanagh v Louth; Croke Park 11.45am
TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Championship Final: Meath v Tipperary; Croke Park, 1.45pm
TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship Final: Dublin v Galway; Croke Park, 4.00pm