Sport

Another close contest in store between perennial Ulster rivals but Slaughtneil can pop Loughgiel again

AIB Ulster Senior Club Camogie Championship final: Slaughtneil (Derry) v Loughgiel (Antrim) (today, Páirc Esler, 2pm)

COMING away from both the recent Antrim and Derry county finals the chat was about who were “missing” from each team and how the team still had “survived” the challenge posed by Dunloy and Swatragh respectively.

There is a certain element of truth in that of course, but it really doesn’t do justice to the players who helped both Loughgiel and Slaughtneil retain their titles, who put their teams into a winning position and then fought until they got over the finishing line.

Three weeks ago Slaughtneil played brilliantly against the wind in the first half to go nine points clear, their eventual winning margin. Their defence was solid with the more experienced players leading the way and Brídín McAllister, my personal player of the campaign, closing out the threat of the McNicholl sisters.

The new midfield of Céat McEldowney and Cliona Mulholland took control while up front the Emmet’s managed to cope with the late withdrawal of Siobhán Bradley and then also with losing first half goalscorer Sinéad Mellon at half-time. Tina Bradley, Olivia Rafferty and Eimhear McGuigan led the line well.

Loughgiel knew that they were going to have to fill gaps in their forward line at the start of the season and then Róisín McCormick’s foot injury restricted her appearances in the Antrim championship. We saw Caitrin Dobbin in a new role as free-taker and leader of the line. She finished as top-scorer in the four match run to a ninth successive title.

McCormick only made two appearances off the bench, scoring three points in the final 10 minutes of a group game with Cushendall and then failing to register in the final after being introduced shortly before half-time in the final.

Her colleagues delivered and none better than Annie Lynn and Mary McKillen in that final, two younger players who had not accumulated many appearances in the championship until this season.

The Shamrocks’ defence was less ruffled by the reshuffle with Úna McNaughton returning to centre-half back after several years in Australia.

My information is that Róisín McCormick and Sinéad Mellon should be fit to start the game, but Éilís McGrath has gone to Australia and is definitely out of the frame.

A huge question mark remains over Slaughtneil's Siobhán Bradley. Even if her wrist has healed enough to warrant inclusion, it would be a little too much to expect that the half-forward would be match fit and able to exert the influence over the game that she managed in the Derry semi-final.

Róisín McCormick came in for the second half of the Antrim final and was not able to impact the game to the extent we have come to expect probably because of the time she had spent on the side-line. She seemed to be nursing her injury.

If Bradley had been available and playing as she has been in the matches during August and September, there would be little doubt that Slaughtneil would be poised to make it a seventh successive title. In her absence, or in a restricted capacity, Loughgiel’s chances will rise.

But the Antrim title-holders will only make it over the line to regain the title if Róisín McCormick is back at the level that saw her win Irish News Player of the Year for her exploits earlier in the season at inter-county level.

Annie Lynn may be able to offer a different perspective to a Loughgiel attack that has failed to break Slaughtneil over the years, but she won’t manage to impact as she did in Glenravel without McCormick at the very least occupying the minds of the Derry defence.

Few of the Ulster finals between these teams over the last seven seasons have been high-scoring; conditions at this time of year probably contribute to that situation. Given that the strength of both teams seems to lie in their experienced defenders, this game is unlikely to buck that trend.

This time last year, the delayed 2020 final ended in a draw, but Slaughtneil won the replay with seven points to spare. They again had seven points to spare when the sides met in January for the 2021 final.

I think this game will turn out to be very close and, as with that drawn game last year, there will be a focus on the score or two that was missed rather than on the quality scores that gets a team over the line.

Slaughtneil have pulled those quality scores out of the bag when most needed over the last six years. They will be favourites to make it seven in a row.