Ulster Intermediate Club Championship Final: Derrygonnelly Harps (Fermanagh) v Castlerahan/Denn (Cavan) (Tomorrow, Healy Park, Omagh 3pm)
CONTROVERSY has shrouded this year's Ulster Intermediate Club Championship but for Derrygonnelly and Castlerahan/Denn there is a final to contest and it's down for decision tomorrow afternoon in Healy Park, Omagh.
All the talk this week has been about Steelstown Brian Og's and their ejection from the competition after they decided not to continue their journey to Cavan to play Castlerahan/Denn in the semi-final on Wednesday evening when they learned of the venue change to Kingspan Breffni's 3G pitch as they did not have the appropriate footwear with them for the playing surface.
Despite appeals from the club, Derry Ladies, and many others on social media to allow them to play the semi-final – presumably this weekend – an emergency meeting of Ulster Ladies Gaelic on Thursday night voted to award the unplayed semi-final fixture to Castlerahan/Denn.
It is believed the Derry champions could lodge an appeal and if so the final may be postponed pending that appeal. It has been far from ideal for Fermanagh champions Derrygonnelly, who have been waiting for almost two weeks to learn their final opponents, while for Castlerahan/Denn they find themselves under an unwanted spotlight and have been given just two days as well to prepare for the final.
Derrygonnelly are relishing the opportunity to play in an Ulster final after having lost the last few Fermanagh county finals to Kinawley, who went on to reach a number of provincial finals before finally getting over the line last year to clinch a first provincial club title.
The Harps, although they lost the Fermanagh senior final to Kinawley, also competed in the intermediate competition and since joining it at the semi-final stages, they have blazed a trail in their own county and throughout Ulster and they looked impressive en route to the final with comprehensive victories over Bredagh B in the quarter-final and then Moortown in the semis.
Andrea Gordon will lead Derrygonnelly out tomorrow afternoon with club captain Erin Flanagan sidelined, as she has been throughout the championship, with a cruciate injury. For Gordon, reaching this stage with her club, has been the highlight of her playing career so far, and after winning Fermanagh, reaching the final has been a target for her and team-mates.
"If it transpired that we would be in the intermediate championship this season we intended to give Ulster a good rattle. We have been taking each game as it comes and re-setting after each one. If someone had told me we would reach the final in our first opportunity in the competition I would have taken that when we started back in January," she said.
Gordon knows that any team who reaches an Ulster final are not there to make up the numbers and while Castlerahan/Denn may be an unknown quantity, the Harps know they must bring their top game to the table.
"Any club that makes it through to an Ulster final are going to be stiff competition. They will have been on a good run all season and much like ourselves will be hungry for success. Regardless of who our opponents have been all season, we have been very focused on our own game and getting our performance right, the build-up to the final has been the same. We are confident in our preparations and if we execute our game plan well there is no reason we can't be successful on Sunday.
"The club has yet to win a provincial title so to be able to bring the first one back would be a phenomenal achievement. This is a really special group of girls and we have worked really hard over the last number of years to take ourselves to this level. There are a few girls who have been playing for a lifetime and until this season we haven't had much to show for our efforts so it would be amazing to get over the line on Sunday."
Castlerahan/Denn have had to endure county final heartache for the last two years before finally landing their county title back in September with victory over Mullahoran. They marched on into Ulster taking each game as it came and victory over Armagh champions Ballyhegan Davitts in the quarter-finals set them up with a semi-final clash against Steelstown. We know what occurred in the intervening days and for club captain Shanise Fitzsimons they have did as best they can to concentrate on football and prepare for Sunday's final, most determined to show just what they can do.
"It has been a difficult week, but we as players have tried to, for the most part, abstain from social media the last few days as it's not something we can change or comment on. We leave that side of things to our management and back room team. We are preparing for the final as best we can," she said.
"At the start of the year our goal was always the county championship having lost two years previous. Now that we are here competing at ulster, some may say bonus territory but it's definitely an achievable goal for us as players if we can perform our best."
