Hurling & Camogie

Slaughtneil camogs: been there, done it, now another All-Ireland title battle looms

Slaughtneil players celebrate following their side's victory after their 2017 AIB All-Ireland Senior Camogie Club Championship final win over Sarsfields at Croke Park in Dublin. Picture by Seb Daly/Sportsfile.
Slaughtneil players celebrate following their side's victory after their 2017 AIB All-Ireland Senior Camogie Club Championship final win over Sarsfields at Croke Park in Dublin. Picture by Seb Daly/Sportsfile. Slaughtneil players celebrate following their side's victory after their 2017 AIB All-Ireland Senior Camogie Club Championship final win over Sarsfields at Croke Park in Dublin. Picture by Seb Daly/Sportsfile.

AIB All-Ireland Senior Camogie Club Championship final: Croke Park, Saturday, 3.30pm

Sarsfields v Slaughtneil

Déja vu for the camogs of Slaughtneil and Sarsfields.

This was the line-up for last March’s AIB All-Ireland senior camogie club final when one of them would win their first title.

That club was Slaughtneil who became the first Derry club and only the second in Ulster to take possession of the Bill Carroll Cup.

Since that historic day, Slaughtneil have been undefeated and retained their Derry title with some ease.

Loughgiel’s 2-2 early in the first half posed them some problems in the Ulster final, but the holders maintained their composure, took the lead for the first time in the 55th minute and saw out the game.

That composure again came to the fore in the All-Ireland semi-final at the end of January when they were holding on to a lead against a gale-force wind in Inniskeen during the second half.

Even when Kilkenny champions Thomastown levelled at 0-10 each with three minutes to go, there was no sense of panic even amongst their supporters. Then in extra time, they regained scoring control.

On the same day, Sarsfield’s edged home 0-10 to 0-9 against Tipperary’s Burghess-Duharra after the teams had been level at 0-5 each at the break with all the scores from frees.

Indeed the Munster champions, whom Slaughtneil defeated in last year’s semi-final didn’t score from play until the 59th minute!

The McGrath sisters are a big part of the Sarsfield’s team, Clodagh and Niamh usually in defence and Orlaith and Siobhán, the youngest and arguably the most talented, in attack.

They are daughters of former county hurler and back-to-back All-Ireland club winner in 1993-4, Michael Hopper McGrath who manages the camogie team.

Siobhán and Niamh, appearing in an unusual forward role, accounted for nine of their ten points as they fought their way to victory against the second half breeze.

Five minors started the final last year for the Connacht champions.

A year on they will be a lot more experienced and mature and present a bigger challenge for the Derry girls.

One of the successes of last year’s final for Slaughtneil was centre-forward Eilís Ní Chaiside who scored two inspirational points from play in the second half. Between Ulster and All-Ireland semi-final this campaign she saw herself placed in defence alongside siblings Bróna and Aoife.

Tina Hannon’s arrival from Offaly has offered the Slaughtneil management more options this season, in terms of scores in the absence of goal-scorer Mary Kelly who left for Scotland last year.

Tina also she fits in nicely into the team’s non-stop work ethic.

So both teams are slightly changed from twelve months ago, but both have made it back to Croke Park because they are the two best around at the minute.

There is no reason that the Cup cannot be brought back to the foot of Carntogher.

The girls have done it before, know what it takes and will know what they face.

It’s just about producing the performance for Croke Park.

AIB All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Club Championship final: Croke Park, Sunday, 1.30pm: Athenry v Johnstownbridge

In the opening game in Croke Park, Johnstownbridge are looking to end another remarkable journey for a young team.

Two years ago they won the All-Ireland Junior title, but due to inter-county grading were prevented from competing at Intermediate level. So they went and won a second Junior title last year and forced a change in re-grading.

Back in the autumn they defeated reigning All-Ireland champions Myshall in the Leinster final and took out last year’s beaten finalists Eglish in the All-Ireland semi-final.

Like Slaughtneil they face Galway opposition in the decider, Athenry, a club that has already taken a senior crown and featured in seven more senior finals, the latest in 2009.

Therese Donoghue (née Maher) played in two senior All-Ireland finals for Athenry.

And hers is a remarkable story of perseverance.

Galway won their first All-Ireland senior title in 1996, and Therese Maher joined the senior panel in 1997, the same season she won the second of her two All-Ireland under 16 medals.

For the next 16 years she knocked on the senior All-Ireland door, time and again, but Galway didn’t break that door down until 2013, and the picture of Maher sinking to her knees at the final whistle is now one of the iconic shots of All-Ireland finals’ day.

She stepped back from county camogie after that, but now at almost 37 and with two sons (3 year-old Bobby and 16 months Harry) she returns to Croke Park with Athenry in search of that elusive national club medal.

I have a feeling she and her club-mates carry just a little too much experience for the Johnstownbridge youngsters.

Camogie Club Championship Titles

St Paul’s (Kilkenny) 8

Buffers Alley (Wexford) 5

Pearses (Galway) 5

Glen Rovers (Cork) 4

Milford (Cork) 3

Granagh-Ballingarry (Limerick) 3

St Lachtain's, Freshford (Kilkenny) 3

St Patrick's Glengoole (Tipperary) 2

Austin Stacks (Dublin) 2

Cashel (Tipperary) 2

Oulart the Ballagh (Wexford) 2

Slaughtneil (Derry) 1

Celtic (Dublin) 1

Eoghan Ruadh (Dublin) 1

Ballyagran (Limerick) 1

Oranmore (Galway) 1

Croagh-Kilfinny (Limerick) 1

Athenry (Galway) 1

Killeagh (Cork) 1

Cuchulainn Crumlin (Dublin) 1

Mullagh (Galway) 1

Lisdowney (Kilkenny) 1

Rathnure (Wexford) 1

O'Donovan Rossa (Antrim) 1

Killimor (Galway) 1