Ulster Senior Club Championship Final: Donaghmoyne (Monaghan) St Ergnat’s Moneyglass (Antrim) (Sunday, Owenbeg, 2pm)
IT’S 18-in-a-row finalists versus first timers when defending Ulster champions Donaghmoyne meet Moneyglass in tomorrow’s senior club championship final in Owenbeg.
The outsider will see this as a David vs Goliath affair with little chance of victory afforded to the Antrim champions. And while the odds might be stacked against Charlie O’Kane’s side, they certainly have nothing to lose and it’s the fear of going in against the unknown that Donaghmoyne are most wary of.
Moneyglass, the first Antrim club to reach an Ulster senior ladies club final, have proved their worth to get to this final stage tomorrow afternoon with superb victories over Bredagh in the quarter-final and St Macartan’s – previous winners of this competition in 2017 – in the semi-final.
They are a very exciting team to watch and their success has been built on a good mix of experience and youth who have tasted underage success at a high level. They are led by captain Cathy Carey who is held in high esteem by the young players around her, some of whom have watched her as they grew up and indeed were coached by her. Anna McCann is a top goalkeeper and vastly experienced and that will be crucial as she controls the defenders around her as they attempt to keep Donaghmoyne’s forwards at bay. Moneyglass will be tenacious in the tackle and aim to build their attacks out from defence, counterattacking at pace with the aim of getting good first time ball into their danger forward Orlaith Prenter.
The champions will look to stop Prenter or at the very least the supply into her. However, if they give away frees to their opposition anywhere from within the ‘40 they could well be punished by the full-forward whose accuracy from frees is deadly.
Donaghmoyne have their own weapons and one of them, as has been written many times before, is their consistency over the last two decades which has played a huge part in their success. They have had the same manager in Francie Coleman and the majority of the same players embellished by youth coming through and when you enjoy the huge success that they have, why would anyone step away?
Last year, Bredagh – in their first provincial club final – took Donaghmoyne to extra-time and when the sides could not be separated at the end of 80 minutes, it went to a replay. The second day out, Donaghmoyne made no mistake and claimed a remarkable 13th Ulster senior club title.
Donaghmoyne have been beaten in finals before – St Macartans six years ago, Termon in 2010 and 2014 and Errigal Ciaran in 2007 – but they have won the majority they have played in.
They have not managed to do four on the bounce, their victories have either come in twos or threes. Should they win tomorrow, disregarding the Covid year of 2020, this could be a fourth title in-a-row, another they would write a new chapter in their and the competition’s history book.
