Clann and Brigid’s look to usurp Boyle

KEVIN EGAN looks ahead of the start of the local senior ladies’ football championship today where Boyle, who won the title for the first time last season, will face stiff competition to retain their crown…

In 2023, it was marked down by most supporters as, perhaps, one of the most predictable championships in the county. The Dermot Hughes Cars Roscommon LGFA senior championship had reigning champions in Clann na nGael that looked like they were moving further and further away from the pack. They had been utterly dominant in the league, and there was no team that looked like they might be in a position to usurp the Johnstown-based side.

In fact, the question on many people’s lips was not if Finbar Egan’s team would be beaten in Roscommon, but if they might be in a position to cause Kilkerrin-Clonberne some real problems in Connacht.

If there was to be a challenge to Clann, then it might have been expected to come from their neighbours in Kiltoom, or maybe a Kilbride side that still had oodles of experience and quality, or even a St. Dominic’s team that had a good age profile and deep panel. No-one was paying too much attention to the 2022 intermediate champions from Boyle.

Even by half-time in the county final at Ballyforan, it still looked like Clann would do enough, after they came from five points down to trail by one, with a fresh October breeze set to favour them in the second half.

But, minute by minute, Boyle kept themselves in the game, falling behind by the midway point of the second half but never wavering, before a sensational finish, featuring late goals from Aisling Feely and Caoimhe Cregg, crowned one of the great fairytales of the year in Roscommon sport.

So with that in mind, it’s only right to begin the Roscommon Herald’s preview of the 2024 championship, which is set to get underway this Sunday morning, with an assessment of Boyle.

Pat Leonard, who was part of Vincent Flanagan’s backroom team last year, is the main man at the helm this year and that should lead to a reasonable degree of continuity.

“Players moving on is part and parcel, and we’ve lost a few but we’ve gained a few younger girls as well. You’ve girls from abroad that have come back home as well. A different team is no harm as it will give new players a chance to win, and as a group we still have the same fire in our bellies,” said one of Boyle’s key players, Shannon Kerins, at the recent Roscommon LGFA championships launch in Dr. Hyde Park.

Overall the defender was very positive about the group’s chances, but losing Róisín Wynne, who put in a tour de force in last year’s final, is not exactly run of the mill comings and goings. A one-point defeat in a high-scoring league semi-final against Clann is not exactly cause for concern so it would be a surprise if they weren’t in the mix, but a tricky trip to Kilbride this weekend (throw in on Sunday morning at 11 a.m.) will tell a lot about whether they are still the team to beat or not.

Which leads us onto Kilbride, who on paper have a bit of ground to make up, but still could be a force if they get all their ducks in a row.

There’s no point pretending otherwise. Defensively, they were very poor during the league, a campaign in which they won one game (versus St. Ciarán’s) by a point, and then conceded 32 goals in the other four matches. However, they were down a lot of players for various reasons, while a man of Con Moynihan’s experience hasn't taken over the reins just to go through the motions.

By the end of the intercounty championship, Aisling Shanagher was in superb form and demonstrating regularly that she’ll be someone who will play a key role, while they’ve won a couple of games in the U-19 championship, so there is potential there for improvement.

Boyle’s success in 2023 will give plenty of encouragement to Éire Óg, who are the new addition to the senior ranks this year. Rebecca Finan has been in superb form so far this year, albeit walking through Division Three is not ideal preparation for the senior championship.

But with her scoring power and some strong performers in the middle in Maeveen Greene and Katelyn Doory, they’ll be interested spectators this weekend before making their senior bow on Sunday week at home to Kilbride.

With every year that passes, the memory of Shannon Gaels reaching the 2020 county final dims somewhat. On paper, it’s perhaps hardest to make a case for the Croghan-based club as potential champions, as there has been a huge amount of player turnover since that group went on something of a run. Like Kilbride, they’ve won games in the U-19 championship and they will lean heavily on a lot of those players, but failing to win a Division Two League title leaves them with the most ground to find out of any of the seven clubs.

First up for Shannon Gaels is a home tie on Sunday at 11 a.m. against St. Brigid’s, who couldn’t be in better shape coming into this game with a Division One title under their belts and a sense that they are finally ready to deliver on the promise that they showed when winning an intermediate crown four years ago.

“We’ve been training now since January, the girls are working hard for a long time and this is what you do it for, we’re really looking forward to our first game,” said Abby Curran last week.

“We’ve Laura (Harrison) and Eddie (Nestor) in with us this year and it’s going great, Laura’s a really good manager and a great coach, and Eddie is fond of a roar but he gets the best out of us! Obviously we’re delighted with the league and now we need to carry that through to championship."

If there is a tie of the round in the first round of games, however, it’s probably the one at Knockcroghery, where St. Dominic’s play host to Clann na nGael. This match throws in at noon on Sunday.

The home side will be very content with their league, Aimee O’Connor and Aoife Gavin both look fit and sharp up front and will be a scoring tandem that not many teams can match, while there is a world of depth in the club too.

As is perennially the case, balancing matters with their camogie commitments will be crucial, while club chairperson Michael O’Connor also has his hands full taking charge of the senior women and their U-19 and junior sides. But in a championship where the club will play on the first five weekends in a row and take on Clann, Brigid’s, Kilbride and Boyle in that run, being able to shuffle the deck and deal with the inevitable injuries and absentees should stand to the club.

Yet after covering all of those, it’s still hard to escape the idea that if Clann get their act together, they should bounce back with a vengeance. Mark Cunningham from Cavan is the new man at the helm, having won senior club titles with Kinawley in Fermanagh in 2022 and 2023, and there’s no doubt that there was an element of bedding in going on during the league. However the stars seem to be aligning for them now, and for one star in particular, the county final date looks serendipitous.

“At the start of my injury it looked like a 12-month injury, but as it happens the county final falls on the exact one-year anniversary of my operation, so it would be a nice omen if we were to get there,” said Jenny Higgins, who aims to make a successful return to ladies’ football after her sojourn with Sydney Swans in the Women’s AFL.

“But I’m pretty meticulous with rehab and I’m tracking a bit earlier than that, so I’m looking forward to getting back for some of the round robin games.

“Mark is a fresh voice, somebody new offering a different perspective coming from the north and a different style of football as well. We’re still getting to know him and he’s getting to know us, but there’s a good group there with leaders in every line of the pitch, that should put us in a good position for the year ahead.” 

On the face of it, they’re in a better position than any of their rivals, but the lessons of the 2023 campaign will be fresh in their minds, and will no doubt give plenty of hope to all seven teams chasing glory.

“In sport, if you’re not on it and you’re not performing, there’s somebody there to take the title off you” was Higgins’ warning.

An interesting summer lies ahead.