St. Brigid’s ladies to break new ground
Ciara Walsh Roísín O’Donovan and Abbey Higgins will hope land St. Brigid's first senior ladies' football title in ten years on Saturday next. Picture: Gerard O'Loughlin
The scene is set — the form team of the senior ladies’ football championship, St. Brigid’s, with seven wins in their bank account this season facing near neighbours, Clann na nGael, who are searching for their third title in four years.
It’s hard to believe that it is ten years since these powerhouses met in a Roscommon LGFA senior final — the last occasion the Kiltoom-based side were crowned senior champions.
Both clubs have watched Kilbride steal their thunder since then. But since winning the 2020 intermediate crown, a young St. Brigid’s side have been steadily building and biding their time to emerge as a serious championship outfit at senior level.
Under Finbar Egan, Clann won the double in 2021 and 2022 before being shocked by Boyle in last year’s final.
In the group game between the teams a few weeks ago, St. Brigid’s ran amok. That should provide Clann with plenty of motivation for Saturday’s decider to try and put that horrible defeat to bed.
St. Brigid’s are scoring for fun, causing more destruction than Storm Boris sweeping through Central Europe last week.
In fairness to Clann, they have regrouped and will relish the underdogs role. With experienced players like Jenny Higgins and Orla O’Neill back in the fold, they have genuine hope.
If form holds, however, there will only one winner. Clann have been further up the mountain over the past few years than St. Brigid’s, and would love nothing better than to pull a rabbit from the hat.
But the evidence so far suggests that the cup will be decorated with green and red ribbons on Saturday evening.
The footballers of St. Faithleach’s and Clann na nGael took us on a magical mystery tour around the bright lights of Kiltoom on Saturday evening.
At the end of 90 enthralling minutes during which both teams served up a game for the ages, nobody wanted to get off the rollercoaster, such was the madness, drama and excitement.
Clann na nGael were like midgets on the bog — they kept coming back — but the St. Faithleach’s wasp had the biggest sting to win a game, after extra time, that contained 43 scores.
Both teams showcased multiple players who delivered incredible performances but standing head and shoulders above everyone else was Roscommon’s All-Star nominee and St. Faithleach’s genius, Diarmaid Murtagh Diarmuid gave one of the best individual displays in a club championship game, scoring 1-7. St. Faithleach’s scored 3-17 (26 points) which was equally divided by the Murtagh brothers, who accounted for 2-7, and a supporting cast chipping in with 1-10, which eventually ended a massive Clann na nGael challenge.
Games like this will never melt from the memory.
It was “culture weekend”, and to honour the occasion I had answers from home and abroad to last week’s Teaser.
Can you name the player who scored the only goal in the first-ever televised Premier League game? It was Teddy Sheringham for Nottingham Forest against Liverpool.
Michael Scally, Ballaghaderreen, was first to take to the stage, with Liam Dooley, Ballyhaunis; QPR, Frenchpark; Declan Martin, Knockcroghery; Murt Hunt, Ballyhaunis; John Croghan, Bundoran; Gerry Gacquin, Athleague; PJ Martin, Kiltoom; Paddy Conlon, Taughmaconnell; Mary Gilfillan, Kilmore; Luigi, Ballyhaunis; Paddy Boland, Youghal; Donald, USA; Mick Fetherston, Dublin; Pat, Sligo; Mary McCarthy, Holloway; Kevin Flanagan, Dartford; Seán Toolan, Heston, and Michael Kearns, also performing their duties with style and panache.
Answers by e-mail to willieefc@gmail.com or by text to 086 8356227. This week’s Teaser comes from Sligo.
Star pupil: Paul Carey who kicked over some pressure frees for Pádraig Pearses during their dramatic tension-filled win against defending champions, St. Brigid’s.
Crucial win for: St. Michael’s who came from seven points down to pip St. Croan’s and preserve their intermediate football championship status for another season.
Much do better: St. Brigid’s will be extremely disappointed they didn’t close out the game when 0-10 to 0-7 ahead in the second half against Pádraig Pearses with only eight minutes remaining.
Spot of bother: For the fourth year in a row, the SFC quarter-final curse struck again for Oran.
This one will leave the deepest cut that will take some healing.
Weekend highlight: The club championship got serious over the weekend as the knockout bell rang loudly with only the 12 Apostles in the SFC, IFC and JFC surviving the cull.
What a cracker: Can a new, exciting and fresh senior hurling final live up to expectations as the old dog, Four Roads, face a giddy young pup in St. Dominic’s?
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
St. Dominic’s have scored 19 goals on their way to Sunday’s Roscommon SHC final against Four Roads.
The most extraordinary weekend in many a year in the senior football championship — it will take time to make sense of it all, such was the madness throughout the four quarter-finals.
