Football

Donaghmoyne and Glenfin primed for Ulster ladies football final battle

Yvonne Bonner of Donegal during the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Senior Championship semi-final against Cork at Dr Hyde Park in Roscommon. Picture by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.
Yvonne Bonner of Donegal during the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Senior Championship semi-final against Cork at Dr Hyde Park in Roscommon. Picture by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile. Yvonne Bonner of Donegal during the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Senior Championship semi-final against Cork at Dr Hyde Park in Roscommon. Picture by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.

Ulster Senior Ladies Football Club Championship Final: Donaghmoyne (Monaghan) v Glenfin (Donegal) (Today, Killyclogher, 3pm)

TEN-TIME Ulster champions Donaghmoyne are out to regain their provincial crown this afternoon but standing in their way ready for the dog-fight as they aim to win a first are Glenfin.

This Ulster Senior Club final has the makings of a fantastic game of football and a great spectacle for the game between two teams littered with some of the best footballers in the country.

Donaghmoyne, who lost their Ulster and All-Ireland crowns to St Macartan's last year in the final feel they have a point to prove, eager to show their glory days are not behind them while Glenfin making a first final appearance since 2011 when they lost 1-14 to 0-4 to Donaghmoyne are ready to create their own piece of history.

Glenfin collected back-to-back Donegal county titles this year having already secured the county Gaeltacht and All-Ireland Gaeltach titles and although accounted for Cavan champions Lurgan easily enough in the quarter-finals were pushed all the way by Bredagh in the semis. They needed an injury time point from star Yvonne Bonner to send the game to extra-time, before putting in an outstanding 20 minutes display to book their place in the today’s final.

Donaghmoyne gained revenge for last year with a semi-final defeat of St Macartan's and while at times they were impressive, they too had to dig deep as the then holders mounted a comeback. So both sides were truly tested in their last outing and this final will be another step up.

There will be some very interesting tussles, not least in midfield where Glenfin captain Grainne Houston and Karen Guthrie take up position against Niamh Callan and Rosemary Courtney for Donaghmoyne. Then there are the questions that will be asked of both sets of management teams – who will mark Bonner or Katy Herron, who will pick up Cathriona McConnell or Cora Courtney? Both sides are very strong right down the middle and are littered with county experience, not least in Guthrie, Herron, Bonner and Ann Marie McGlynn who are current stars for Donegal with Diane McGlynn and Houston former players. The Courtneys – Sharon, Cora, Fiona, Rosemary - goalkeeper Linda Martin, Hazel Kingham, Niamh Callan, Louise Kerley and McConnell play or have all played for Monaghan with among four of them – McConnell, Martin and Sharon and Cora Courtney – there are eight All Stars.

Donaghmoyne captain Cora Courtney knows the mammoth challenge ahead of them but feels they are in a much better position physically and mentally compared to 12 months ago.

“There just seems to be more of a drive in us and a sharpness to what we are doing at training mainly due to the fact that we want to have success again,” said Courtney.

“We know what it takes to win so it is a matter of trying to get that work rate out of us on the day.

“There is huge talent within our team so we feel we should be winning these titles but as we say we can’t win just because we are Donaghmoyne so we are aware of what is needed to win.

“I don't remember anything about the [2011] game but three of their players are nominated for All Stars this year and would be big scorers so we know that we are going to have a good game from them.

“Just reading about their semi -final win it seems like they play attacking football and showed composure in forcing extra time.

“They really want to win an Ulster title so we need to be ready for them.”

There is a real sense of belief around Glenfin that they can follow in Termon and St Macartan's footsteps and win a senior club title and while they have the utmost respect for Donaghmoyne and what they have achieved they are out to win this just as much as them.

“Winning Ulster is very achievable for us,” said captain Grainne Houston.

“Donaghmoyne are an unbelievable team and to be in a 15th final and having already won 10 Ulster titles is an incredible statistic but I suppose from seeing what St Macartan's did last year and in what Termon have also done too, we know they can be beaten and we know we can do it.

“We have matured so much as a team and a group of players since 2011 and even after last year's defeat to St Macartan's in the quarter-finals we took so much from that.

“We were so disappointed with ourselves to lose that day but it has made us a much better team for it. It wasn't easy defending our county title against fantastic teams likes Termon and Moville and that was our first aim. Once we did that we really wanted to give Ulster a good run and push ourselves all the way.

“We have done all the hard work on the training pitch and in getting here. We need to make it count now and perform on the day.

“I am honoured to be captain of a fantastic bunch of players, of my friends but we have a team full of leaders and I know they will stand up and be counted in the biggest game of our lives.”

Ulster Junior Ladies Football Club Championship Final: Lavey v Trillick (Tyrone) (Today, Killyclogher, 1pm)

A PROVINCIAL final of any sort is a big deal and for the two clubs contesting this afternoon’s Ulster junior club final it does not get any bigger.

Tyrone champions Trillick and their Cavan counterparts Lavey will leave every ounce of energy on the turf in their pursuit of a first ever Ulster title.

Trillick, managed by Don Goodwin and Izzy Gallagher go into the game as red-hot favourites having blazed a trail on route to today’s final, winning their quarter and semi-final games against Derrygonnelly and Faughanvale, a Derry intermediate side, by 20 plus points.

By comparison, Lavey, under the guise of Stephen Hughes, Conor Martin and Chris Conroy, may only have edged St Paul’s II and Scotstown by four and one point respectively in the other side of the draw but a win is a win and they certainly have earned the right to contest the biggest game of their lives.

With a couple of former Cavan county players in Caitriona Smith and Rachael Jordan as well as strong midfielders Suzanne Cusack and Shannon O’Reilly and inspirationally led by captain Collette Donahoe, Lavey certainly have the players who can get them over the line.

Smith, who has won an All-Ireland title with the Breffni County, says nothing compares to winning with your club.

“I have won medals with Cavan and without taking anything away from that winning with your club is a different achievement,” said Smith.

“These are girls you have grown up with, played with from an early age; it’s your family, your parish and it’s incredibly special. As a club we have had highs and lows over the years so to achieve what we have so far this year has been incredible and for me this year has been one of my greatest achievements.”

Smith admits that while winning the county championship was a target at the start of the year, reaching an Ulster final certainly was not on their radar.

“We certainly didn’t bargain on this happening. It has been a fantastic year so far for us, winning three titles in Cavan - the 9-a-side competition, the league and the championship.

“That was our aim at the start of the year and we were delighted to achieve that. Then all of a sudden you are in Ulster and it is only then you start thinking about that.

“You don’t know what to expect, what you are coming up against and you don’t really know how it’s going to go.

“We don’t underestimate Trillick and we know they are huge favourites, tipped from the get-go. They are a strong team and have put up some big scores but club championship football is all on the day.

“The favourites don’t always win and we will have no fear. We will go out and play our own game. We have earned our right to be in the final and we want to win.”

It has already been a memorable year for Trillick’s Emma Brennan who was an integral part of the Tyrone team that captured the All-Ireland Intermediate Championship title back in September, and she is hoping to add a provincial club medal to her inter-county one come this evening.

Before that though her attentions are fully focused on the game in hand as they try not to pay much heed to ‘headlines’ that this title is Trillick’s for the taking.

“We don’t like speaking about headlines and try not to listen to people talking us up or making us favourites,” said Brennan.

“We just go out and worry about ourselves and thankfully we have come out on the right end of the results.

“The scoreline in the quarter and semi-finals I don’t think were a fair reflection on the games.

“They were not that easy but being clinical in the forward lines is something we have been working on all year and taking our scoring chances and that has worked for us.”

Trillick certainly have the players to cause damage and alongside Brennan their young minor stars such as Cathleen Kelly, Katie Murphy and Dearbhlie Gallagher are taking everything in their stride and playing a major part while the experienced hands of team captain Cathy Donnelly, Nuala Kelly and Fiona Owens will prove invaluable.

“We don’t know much about Lavey but to have reached the final they are not going to be easily beaten and I have no doubt they will want to win as much as us.

“It has been a great season for the club and we are hoping this is only the beginning. We want to push on from what we have achieved this year and to win on Saturday would be the greatest achievement.”

Ulster Intermediate Ladies Football Club Championship Final: Emmet Og (Monaghan) v Kinawley (Fermanagh) (Tomorrow, Drumlane, 2pm)

FERMANAGH champions Kinawley are hoping to erase the heartache of losing the provincial final two years ago when they face Emmet Og in tomorrow’s Ulster intermediate decider at Drumlane.

It is not always easy winning a county title let alone getting back to an Ulster final, especially at this and the junior level, so to have done so, and so quickly, is testament to Kinawley’s character.

Having played a preliminary round game, this will be fourth of their campaign, defeating Naomh Conaill, Dromintee and Arva-Killeshandra on route to tomorrow’s final.

Their opponents Emmet Og have defeated Saval and Donaghmore in their quarter and semi-final to reach this final hurdle and it should be an interesting tussle.

It is hard to call out a favourite in this one – the Fermanagh champions might just shade it – mostly because they were here only two years ago, losing out to Armagh side Shane O’Neills in the 2016 final.

That defeat has been a big push in helping them get back to this final hurdle.

Last year they lost their county title and winning it back, says midfielder Joanne Doonan, was the main priority from the start of the season and then to use it as a catalyst in their pursuit of an Ulster title.

“Two years ago we were very disappointed. We are lucky to get back to another final without having to wait too long,” said Doonan.

“That day Shane O'Neills were the better team but we have learned a lot from then and I feel we are in a better position two years later. Hopefully too, that experience of having played in a final so recently and passing that on to the players who have come up through the underage and are now part of the team will give us the edge.”

Kinawley have plenty of county experience among their players with Doonan one of six who played for the Erne county this year along with captain Courteney Murphy, Danielle Maguire, Lisa Maguire, Roisin O’Reilly and Kayleigh Moore while Shauna Melanaphy is a former county player.

There are plenty of family connections too in the team with their captain playing alongside sisters Erin and Mickey, who are also first cousins of Corinne Breen and Laura Murphy. Sisters Danielle and Lisa Maguire are cousins of Joanne while Laura and Leanne Doonan are also sisters.

“We definitely have the players and the potential to go the whole way but we have to make sure we take our chances on the day because days like these don't come about often and you don't know when they will happen again. It has been a good year so far and we still have our Division One league final against Newtownbutler to play but our focus for now is on this Ulster title.”

Emmet Og was formed just a few years ago as an amalgamation of Aghabog and Eire Og so to break ground in Ulster so quickly has been impressive particularly when taking into consideration the standard of intermediate club football in Monaghan.

One of their key players is Monaghan county star Ellen McCarron, who was part of the Aghabog team crowned Monaghan intermediate champions in 2013, while incidentally Kinawley were the Fermangah champions but both failed to progress past the quarter-finals of the provincial competition.

While McCarron admits Emmet Og’s achievements this year have gone beyond expectations they are not content on just turning up tomorrow afternoon to make up the numbers and they now have a belief in themselves that they are capable of going the whole way.

"This was our first success at club level and it was completely unexpected so it is extra special. Other teams in the county were hot favourites but we beat Magheracloone in the semi-final and then were up against O'Neill Shamrocks in the final,” she explained.

“We didn't know what way that would go but we drew and I think it was only then that we realised we could win if we put our mind to it. The drawn final and the replay were the two of the most serious games I ever played in and we were estatic to win.

“We never even thought about Ulster; you are just so consumed with the county.

“We had no expectations of what we would do in Ulster. It was more ‘let's just go out and play football and see what we can do’. We had a good win against Saval but were pushed all the way against Donaghmore in the semi-final. It was a real tough battle but that will hopefully stand to us now on Sunday.

“Kinawley are big favourites against us and they beat a fancied Arva side too in the semis. They are a senior side in Fermanagh and they have been here in the final just a couple of years ago.

“We will have to step up a gear but we have a great belief among ourselves and on the day anything can happen.

“We have been underdogs in almost all of our games this year but the players we have in our team don't know how to give up, the younger players especially.

“We will go in and give it our best shot and who knows what will happen.”