NWP Ulster senior club camogie final: Sunday 2pm in Athletic Grounds Armagh: Loughgiel Shamrocks v Slaughtneil Emmett’s
On the first Sunday of March this year, Slaughtneil struck gold by powering to a 1-10 to 0-11 win over Sarsfields’ from Galway in the All-Ireland senior club camogie final, the first Derry side to reach the summit and only the second from Ulster, following on from Rossa nine years earlier.
It was all the more remarkable since they did so as first time provincial champions, winning the Ulster title in a replay against Loughgiel before a huge attendance at Glen, Maghera just before Halloween 2016.
The drawn final was played as a double-header in Armagh with the club hurling final between the same two clubs.
Another provincial double is on offer on Sunday for Slaughtneil, with Loughgiel again the camogie obstacle.
However things have changed significantly since last October.
Mary Kelly, goal-scorer in the Ulster final replay and again in the All-Ireland final, went abroad during the summer, as did Player of the Match in both games, Shannon Graham. Rumours abound as to their availability today, but it will be a surprise if either plays.
Their absence hasn’t affected the Emmett’s season to date as they amassed high scores in retaining the Derry title, beating Ballinascreen in a repeat of last year’s final, 5-17 to 2-9.
Offaly native Tina Hannon has stepped into one of those vacancies while the Mellon cousins, Therese and Sinéad, who were in and out of the starting 15 in last year’s championship look to have secured starting berths this season.
Loughgiel meanwhile continued their domination of Antrim.
A year on, they also look at least as strong as they did last season when they were in search of a third successive provincial title.
Young Amy Boyle, an All-Ireland minor winner back in April, is now in the midfield engine room, while arguably the most exciting under-age talent in the province at the minute, 16-year-old Roisin McCormick, is also unhinging defences at all levels with her skill and pace.
More than half of the Loughgiel team has played in four All-Ireland semi-finals since 2009. That makes them very experienced – but this year they are arguably much fresher than in any other time they have challenged at this level.
In 2016, their All-Ireland odysseys in the spring time meant that they were basically on the go for 30 months without a break when they faced Slaughtneil – and they also won an Ulster inter-county senior title representing Antrim in June 2016.
This year, they took a long break prior to the start of the club season, gave county a bye and used a wider panel of players than before in the Antrim league.
They have been building for this game and in many eyes, Slaughtneil are the favourites.
It will suit them coming in under the radar, but have they the artillery and the hunger to come through?
All questions will be answered by 3.20pm on Sunday – unless we get the same result as last year – a draw!
NWP Ulster Intermediate club camogie final: Saturday 2.30pm in Granemore: Clonduff (Down) v Eglish (Tyrone)
Eglish are hoping to clinch a third successive Ulster Intermediate club title in Granemore, the home of the club they convincingly defeated in last year’s decider.
Their opponents this time around is Clonduff – and that poses a problem for the Eglish team who narrowly lost the All-Ireland final in Croke |Park back in February.
Prior to winning the 2015 final against Glen, Maghera, Eglish lost three successive finals to Down opposition, Ballycran in 2012, then Liatroim Fontenoys and in 2014 Clonduff.
So Down champions have been problem opponents for Eglish, now in their sixth successive decider and apparently building all the time. Those final defeats began with a three points deficit, went to two and the Clonduff final was lost in a replay by a point.
The last two finals saw them coast to victory as the All-Ireland club championship seems now to be their new challenge.
Young players such as Leanne Donnelly and Catherine Muldoon have added a bit of pace to the team while more experienced hands such as Leona Gallagher, Brenda Horsfield, Julie Lagan, Shauna Jordan and Armagh county player Ciara Donnelly are there to guide them through the tougher periods in games.
The Down championship seems to have slipped a little in standard, probably witnessed by the fact that their winners in the past couple of seasons haven’t made it to the provincial final.
Clonduff were less than emphatic in their games, including the final against Ballygalget where they only scored three points in the second half.
Sarah Louise and Fionnuala Carr and Paula Gribben are still key players for them as they were back in 2007 when they finally broke Liatroim’s long rein at the top. Indeed half the team claimed their fifth medal after the final five weeks ago.
That’s the experienced side of the team with goal-scorers Cassie Fitzpatrick and Katie McGilligan weighing in for the younger group.
Eglish, since their breakthrough title in 2015, look a lot more formidable than they did when the teams met last in a final. It shouldn’t go to a replay this time, and the Tyrone team should be looking towards another visit to Croke Park.
