It’s now the business end of the Clare Camogie calendar with two Senior Championship semi-finals taking place at the weekend plus there is the small matter of seeing which team will advance to the Senior ranks for 2016 with the Intermediate Final down for decision.
Four teams remain in the hunt for the McMahon Cup; reigning Champions, Kilmaley, last year’s beaten finalists Clooney/Quin, 2013 Champions, Newmarket-on-Fergus and this year’s League runners up Inagh/Kilnamona. Meanwhile Corofin and St Josephs Doora/Barefield will battle it out in the Intermediate Final with the winner securing promotion to Senior for 2016.
Kilmaley vs Inagh/Kilnamona 03/10/15 at 12:00 in Clarecastle
The County Champions put their title on the line when they face the youthful and fearless Inagh/Kilnamona on Saturday morning.
Although they had a shaky start to the Championship with a twenty four point defeat to Newmarket-on-Fergus, Kilmaley with the return of several key players are now on a solid footing with comprehensive victories over Truagh/Clonlara and Kilkishen behind them. Gerry Kennedy’s side only begin to peak when it comes to the crunch time of the year and this is something Inagh/Kilnamona will need to be wary of.
There is a desire within the Kilmaley camp to atone for their defeat to Milford in last year’s Munster Championship and to do that they must first overcame Saturday’s opponents. They will look to Claire McMahon, Denise Lynch, Emma O’Driscoll, Saoirse Glynn, Lauren McGuane and Helen McMahon to get them back to the County Final stage.
With the tag of the up and coming team in the County placed firmly on their shoulders, Inagh/Kilnamona will be determined to reach the club’s first ever Senior County Final. That will be no easy feat and the fact that Kilmaley stand in their path adds to the difficulty. Losing this year’s League Final taught Inamona a few lessons and whether or not they learned from them will become apparent this weekend.
Margaret Lafferty’s charges are unbeaten in the Championship as they got past Clooney/Quin, Sixmilebridge and Clarecastle/Ballyea in the group. A constant feature in the close games they have been involved is their lack of points scored, while it is important they are scoring goals they must keep the scoreboard constantly ticking over. Fiona Lafferty, Aoife Keane, Claire Commane, Amy Keating and Andrea O’Keeffe are some of the key players within their ranks.
There will be very little between the sides in this encounter; Inagh/Kilnamona will need to be alert for the sixty minutes as Kilmaley will pounce at any given opportunity. If Lafferty’s girls continue to fire home the goals as they have done plus adding some extra white flags it may just dent Kilmaley’s aspirations however the experience of the County Champions should be telling at the final whistle in seeing them through.
Newmarket-on-Fergus vs Clooney/Quin 04/10/15 at 12:00 in Clarecastle
In a repeat pairing of last year’s semi-final, Clooney/Quin will be eager to ensure they knock Newmarket-on-Fergus out of the Championship for a successive season.
Newmarket have had it easy in their campaign to date as they strolled to victory over Kilmaley, Kilkishen, Truagh/Clonlara. What have they learned so far? As in most one-sided contests, very little is the answer. So for them Sunday’s game will not alone be their biggest test of the year but their first.
Managed by Clare Minor and Junior Camogie boss, Darren Hayes, the Blues are itching to return to the County Final and what more incentive would they need than to dump Clooney, the team responsible for their 2014 exit, out of the Championship along the way. The Blues need a good start in this and their attack must maintain their recent form. They will rely on Carol O’Leary, Roisin McMahon, Aimee McInerney, Ruth Kaiser, Aoife Griffin and Annmarie Hayes to set the standard.
Clooney/Quin must be credited for their resilience, after coming up short on several occasions in recent years they always come back fighting and they will certainly bring this level of fight and desire to the table on Sunday. Minus the services of Kelly McLean, Christine Colleran, Imelda Colleran and Louise Henchy for the year, younger players have been handed the responsibly and they are embracing the chance bestowed upon them.
Unlike their opponents this weekend, the side trained by former Galway star Orla Kilkenny, have had to work their way into the last four. They recovered from a first round defeat to overcome Clarecastle/Ballyea and then knock Sixmilebridge out of the Championship. Jessica O’Neill, Deirdre Murphy, Orlaith Duggan, Aisling Hannon, Claire Ryan and Aoibheann Duggan have been the form players for the side this year.
These two teams are of a similar standard and so it is going to come down to whichever teams wants to win the most. That was what separated the teams in last year’s semi-final and if Newmarket show the required fight they will book a final spot if not Clooney will get another chance to become County Champions.
St Josephs Doora/Barefield vs Éire Óg 03/10/14 at 15:00 in Newmarket-on-Fergus
It’s a meeting of the Townies and the Parish in the Intermediate County Final with the winner will not alone take home the Fr Liam Murray Cup but Senior status for 2016 and a place in the Munster Intermediate Championship.
Since a crucial play-off win over Scariff/Ogonnelloe, the confidence within the St Josephs Doora/Barefield panel has gone from strength to strength. A comprehensive nine point win over Feakle/Broadford followed in the semi-final which saw the Parish girls secure a place in the Final.
It’s very much a family affair with Doora/Barefield as four sets of sisters are on the team namely the O’Briens, Meehans, Meaneys and Hennessy, while former County Minor Sarah Hoey plays alongside her niece Caoimhe. The family ties don’t end there as each member of the management has a daughter involved. Louise Woods, Erin Hennessy, Sarah Hoey, Orlaith Lynch and Caitriona Hennessy have been some of the key players all year for Barefield.
Éire Óg won promotion from the Junior ranks in 2012 and three later they are one step away from climbing up the ladder to Senior. Like their opponents they have suffered one defeat in the Championship losing by ten points to Feakle/Broadford. The Ennis club got past Killanena/Tulla in the Group stage and Whitegate/Bodyke.
It is very much a case of giving youth a chance to flourish with the Townies as only four members of the panel are over twenty one. Therefore a win would boost the confidence of the younger players and give them a stronger team for the years to come. Managed by John Russell, Éire Óg will be counting on Orla Devitt, Grainne Nolan, Aoife O’Neill, Marie Redmond and Aoife Warren for big displays.
St Josephs are now in action for the fourth week in succession and this run will ultimately make or break them. Éire Óg will need a good start to settle the nerves of their young side. The greater balance of the Doora/Barefield girls added with their strength in the middle third should be enough to see them secure promotion.
