Ulster Senior Camogie Championship final: Slaughtneil v Loughgiel
(Sunday, 12.45pm, Armagh)
ALL through this run of extraordinary success, the hashtag the Slaughtneil club has used on its Twitter page has been ‘#OneClubThreeCodes’.
When the whole village of Slaughtneil crammed itself into the club on the night of October 4, the gap formed right up the centre of the hall. The senior camogs, led by captain Louise Dougan, weaved through the crowd with the Martin Mulholland Cup to share the stage, and the acclaim, with their senior footballers.
It had been the one thing missing from their cabinet last winter and, given that the cup bears the name of one of their own, regaining it on the same afternoon the club also added the football to their earlier-won hurling title made it a day of huge emotion. For Emmet's skipper Dougan, who turned in a real captain’s display to lead them to a 3-12 to 2-9 win over neighbours Swatragh, the day will be etched in her memory.
“County final day is always something you dream of from a very early age. No doubt there was a few nerves that morning, but sure it wouldn’t be county final day any other way," she said.
“Running out onto Banagher pitch and seeing the far side of the pitch swarmed in maroon and white is hard to put into words. I knew it wasn’t easy for our supporters, but they never fail and I hope they all understand what it means to us as players, they make those moments what they are.
“The win itself was unbelievable. I couldn’t put the half of it into words and anyone who heard my attempt of a speech afterwards can agree, so I'll not say any more than that,” she laughed.
On Sunday, Dougan will lead them out in Armagh for an Ulster final date with Antrim champions and reigning Ulster kings Loughgiel. It will be an even bigger occasion for the Emmet's as they take part in two Ulster finals in one venue on the same day. And while there were eyebrows raised over the fact it was scheduled for Armagh rather than either Owenbeg or somewhere in the Glens of Antrim, Dougan is simply delighted the two games are together.
“We had a fair idea we would be playing in Armagh as it has been there the past few years. As for the hurling, making it a double header, it’s good to see that common sense has prevailed," she added.
“It’s a great thing for both teams and a lot of pressure off our supporters, so I guess we can’t complain.”
The Shamrocks will hold no real surprises for Slaughtneil. They overcame Coleraine by a point in last year’s decider and the sides have met on occasion in recent seasons.
“Of course we had a couple of days off after the county final, but soon got knuckled down again and back to the grindstone. Our team and management are now very focused for the Ulster final," she said/
“We had a challenge game, but have just upped the training and continued on as normal. It was difficult coming back down from where winning the county final had left us, but a few wise words soon got us back to reality and focusing on the next challenge. We’ve had a few run-ins with Loughgiel the past few years. They are a good strong team all round and have won the Ulster a few times now.
“I'd imagine they will be going in as favourites as they are reigning champions. They are a solid outfit and we have a lot of respect for them, but we don’t fear them.”
