AIB All-Ireland Junior B Club Championship Final
Sunday November 25 in Pairc Tailteann, Navan (12.30pm): Clontibret (Monaghan) v Ratoath (Meath)
AIB All-Ireland Junior Club Championship Final (2.15pm:) Four Roads (Roscommon) v Kilmessan (Meath)
IT IS fair to say that when Clontibret won the Monaghan county title in September and found out that they were to progress into the new Ulster Junior B championship, they simply did not know what to expect.
Then they started to make their way forward and narrowly beat Armagh Intermediate champions Crossmaglen to become Ulster champions.
Once more they were taking a step into the unknown with the All-Ireland title-race also being a completely new competition.
A fortnight ago they had to play British champions Fullan Gaels from Manchester. They came through with just two points to spare, 2-11 to 4-3, but had to dig really deep to make the cut with Máire Greenan finishing the scoring with points in the 6th and 7th minutes of injury time.
Overall they were the better balanced side with Fullan Gael’s midfielder Sarah Fahy, a native of Cork, the main threat.
The competitive nature of that game will have taken Clontibret a step further in their development, but they can take a bigger step forward by defeating Meath champions Ratoath tomorrow (Sunday).
The Monaghan management watched the Leinster final last month and believe that the two teams that have reached the national final in Páirc Tailteann are evenly enough matched.
Clontibret will not have to deal with a top player like Sarah Fahy in the final; rather they face a fairly well balanced team like their own, a team that also had to work hard to beat Mayo’s Na Brideoga by 4-4 to 0-11 in their semi-final.
Máire Greenan scored 10 of the 11 points against the British champions, seven of which came from frees, and that accuracy will be crucial in the final.
However she will also need a few more players to weigh in with points, perhaps Aisling Greenan or Muireann Atkinson.
Most of the scores Clontibret conceded in the semi-final came from frees, with the defensive set up in general proving very effective.
There is still an outside chance that corner-back Sorcha McDonnell will be passed fit to play after picking up a nasty enough injury in the semi-final.
The McSkeanes, Joanne and Hannah, Donna Moen-McMeel, Orlaith Boyle and Ríoghnach Duffy however were very sound all season and there is a platform to build a winning challenge.
It looks on paper a very good chance for either team to take an All-Ireland back to their county.
Clontibret have improved in each game from the Monaghan final.
If they can move on again for the final, they may well get in to the winners’ enclosure.
In the second game at Navan, Kilmessan are hoping to retain their All-Ireland Junior A title when they take on 2014 champions Four Roads of Roscommon.
Both teams looked fairly competent in their semi-final wins, but Kilmessan were probably up against tough opposition in most of the Kerry Junior team that lost the All-Ireland final to Dublin in Croke Park in September.
Perhaps that points to them continuing their unbeaten run.
