Littlewoods Ireland Camogie Leagues Division 2 and 3 Finals
Derry will be hoping to claim their first silverware since 2012 when they take on Cork in the Division 2 League final tomorrow.
The Oak Leafers have enjoyed a successful start to the season as they finished top of their Group on score difference before seeing off Kildare in the semi-final.
The return of Karen Kielt has boosted Derry.
With eight years on the county scene the Kilrea player brings some much needed experience to the side.
Her free taking and scoring ability has helped Derry claim some big results over the years and they will be hoping that she can influence the game in their favour tomorrow.
Eilís, Aoife and Bróna Ní Chaiside are back after their heroics with Slaughtneil has also given the county
Cork have been impressive so far, they dominated their group by going unbeaten before defeating Carlow to book their spot in the final.
The Rebels will be aiming to maintain this momentum as they seek to gain their first Division 2 title since 2014.
Rachel O’Shea, Katelyn Hickey and Finola Neville have all be key players for Cork, Derry will need to be at their best defensively if they are to deny Cork but Karen Kielt says her side are up for the challenge.
“Cork are a strong team, they are unbeaten all year,'' she said.
“They have changed so much even from last year’s All-Ireland final as they’re using so many players in both squads but we’ll give it our best shot.
“We’ve been working away at training and Eimear McGuigan will be missing as she broke her hand but we have pretty much a full panel to pick from so fingers crossed we get the result tomorrow.
“We are looking forward to the final, it is nice to play in any Final and this run has given us the chance to get a few extra games under our belts before down in the Ulster Championship,” added Kielt.
The Division 3 final will be the first game on offer at Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA with Dublin taking on Roscommon.
The Dubs have a 100 percent record so far and will be seeking to keep their impressive run going against a Roscommon side that overcame Kerry in the Semi-Final.
Both side’s defences have been crucial to their success so it will very much come down to which defensive can cope best with the attacking threat of their opponents.
Kelley Hopkins will be a test for Dublin’s defence which has been solid throughout the campaign, while the sharpshooting Caragh Dawson, Laoise Quinn and Sinead Nolan will provide a real threat to Roscommon backline.
Dublin will also hope that captain Emer Keenan can drive them forward and assert her influence from the middle of the park, while, Roscommon will look to Rachel Fitzmaurice and Susan Spillane.
It was Dublin who came out on top when the two sides clashed in the Group stages but with both sides eager to claim their first ever Division 3 crown tomorrow’s game could be too tight to call.
In the event of a draw at full-time in either fixture, the replay will take place on Sunday May 7.
Fixtures
(Tomorrow)
Littlewoods Ireland Camogie Leagues Division 2 Final: Derry v Cork, Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA at 3.30pm
Littlewoods Ireland Camogie Leagues Division 3 Final: Dublin v Roscommon, Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA at 1.30pm
