TG4 All-Ireland Ladies' JFC Group B, round one
Fermanagh v Carlow (Sunday, Lannleire, 2pm)
FERMANAGH’S bid to reach back-to-back All-Ireland finals gets underway against Carlow on Sunday.
The Erne county lost last year’s junior decider, after a replay, to Antrim and the first target for James Daly’s side is to qualify for the semi-finals.
There is plenty of familiarity among the contenders in this group. Fermanagh have already played Carlow this year, in the Division Four league, while they have also played London, who were league opponents, and Derry, whom they met in the Ulster championship.
The results of those three games have all went the way of Fermanagh and that is a trend Daly will be keen to follow. They will be disappointed with their Ulster final defeat to Down a few weeks ago, a game they felt they could have won.
Since then, they have had the opportunity to regroup and prepare for these next three games, aiming to finish top of the group and seal their knockout place.
Carlow come into this game as Leinster champions on the back of victory over Kilkenny in the final. Cliodhna Ni She and Sarah Doyle hit 3-9 of their side’s 5-20 to 0-6 win over their opponents. While the winning margin was impressive, it’s difficult to read too much into it as Carlow were massive favourites for that provincial title against a team who were only making return to senior county football after a few years’ absence.
London v Derry (Saturday, Ruislip, 12pm)
DERRY travel to across to London this weekend to begin their All-Ireland campaign but will face a tough test against the Exiles.
After difficult league and provincial outings, it is hard to know where the Oak Leafs currently are. They are along with last year’s All-Ireland runners-up Fermanagh and Carlow in this group and with just the top two to qualify for the semi-finals, they have their work cut for them if they are to get there.
They have just one win all year, that coming in the league against Kilkenny, which was just their first win since 2021, while their provincial championship tilt ended in defeats to both Fermanagh and Down as they failed to qualify for the final.
London, though, have also had a poor league, losing all their games in the Division Four group and they will be keen to make their own mark in this championship and get a win under the belts. The sides were due to meet in the championship last year but Derry failed to field for that game, so for both teams, having not met in recent years, it’s a step into the unknown. There are a massive three points up for grabs but it might not be enough for either team in the long run.
