OLD FOES, FIERCE rivals and two of the top few.

Dublin and Cork go at it again in the familiar setting of Croke Park this evening [throw-in 5.15pm, live on TG4], with another mouth-watering battle in store.

As always, these two counties start the season as leading contenders for the big prizes on offer. But there’s another element to the ladies football landscape in 2022 after Meath’s magical win last year — and an extra kick to this clash, given Division 1B pits Dublin, Cork, Meath and Waterford together, with only two teams progressing to the semi-finals.

Not only did the Royals’ historic win end Dublin’s bid for the perfect five-in-a-row, it also broke the Dublin-Cork duopoly which stretches back to 2005. That’s 16 years of the Brendan Martin Cup wintering in the capital or on Leeside; the Rebels enjoying a remarkable reign of terror from ’05 to ’16, only interrupted by the Sky Blues in 2010, before they added four consecutive crowns under the guidance of Mick Bohan thereafter.

Bohan is still in situ as Dublin look to bounce back from their 2021 championship disappointment, while they also have the league title to defend. Last year’s decider win over – you guessed it – Cork was just their second Division 1 title, having first gotten their hands on the silverware in 2018.

Cork, meanwhile, have lifted the title 12 times – first in 2005 and most recently in 2019. While it’s a competition they have appeared to target, more than Dublin anyway, in recent years, it’s hard to measure their approach this season.

Shane Ronayne is the new man at the helm, after himself and now-Waterford men’s football boss Ephie Fitzgerald effectively swapped jobs, bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to the role.

Ronayne’s reign opened with a two-point defeat to Meath in Navan last Saturday, though he was without his Mourneabbey contingent. The same applies this weekend as most of the 2018 and 2019 All-Ireland club champions and 2021 runners-up recharge the batteries after their recent defeat, though goal-scoring machine Laura Fitzgerald is included on the bench for the trip to HQ.

Shane Ronayne on the line with Mourneabbey.

Source: Lorraine O’Sullivan/INPHO

There are two changes to their starting team, as of now, with Roisin Phelan and Libby Coppinger drafted in as they face into a must-win encounter. The absence of the Mourneabbey contingent means Cork are without vital cogs in new captain Máire O’Callaghan, the O’Sullivan sisters, Ciara and Doireann, and top defender Eimear Meaney.

Rising star forward, Niamh Hetherton, meanwhile, comes in for Dublin, who got up and running last weekend with a 4-7 to 1-4 victory in Waterford, while blooding several new players.

Both panels show a mixture of youth and experience, a blend of familiar and fresh faces, with no big departures announced as of yet — Cork dual star Hannah Looney is currently living in New York, though.

A raft of Dublin retirements were expected, after Bohan lamented “the end of a road for probably half a dozen of that group” in the wake of last year’s All-Ireland final.

But speaking to The42 last week, Carla Rowe indicated that Siobhan McGrath was “the only girl who I think has not returned yet”. That said, that’s not exactly uncommon. The 2019 Footballer of the Year and Thomas Davis stalwart did suffer with injury last year, and it could be a case of giving her time.

There’s none of such for Lyndsey Davey, who has been named in both matchday squads as she opens her 19th campaign, while likewise long-serving Sinéad Aherne is yet to feature after her All-Ireland intermediate winning club campaign with St Sylvester’s.

The same applies for Sinéad Goldrick and Lauren Magee, who are tied up with AFLW commitments in Melbourne, and uncertainty does remain over Niamh McEvoy. 

Several Dublin players have spoken about their hunger and motivation to get back to the top this year, while Erika O’Shea is the Cork face who has fulfilled the most media duties over the past few weeks.

Earlier this month, the 2021 All-Star said: “Shane Roynane is focusing on [getting back to] the All-Ireland final and that is all that is in his head at the moment and we are using the league as experience and hopefully it will be very worthwhile.

“I’m really hoping for the All-Ireland anyway and it’s definitely a new chapter.”

Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO

The next chapter in this storied Cork-Dublin rivalry begins this evening, too, the clash forming part of a double-header with the Dubin-Mayo men’s showdown.

This duel comes as the latest installment of a gripping contest, which has captured the imagination in recent years, and will never dissipate. Their rivalry, and mutual respect, is one like no other in the game, the sides guaranteed to cross swords in the business end of competitions each and every year.

And every time they meet, they serve up a classic, with free-flowing, attacking football guaranteed.

“They’re probably one of our favourite teams to play in terms of style of football, they’ve always been really exciting and really challenging games,” as Dublin star Niamh Collins told DubsTV this week.

“No matter how much the teams move in terms of new players, it always seems to be a great battle between Dublin and Cork. Great to have it in Croke Park as well, there were times in the past where the only game we got in Croke Park was an All-Ireland final.

“It’s great for new young players to experience playing in that stadium and it’s always exciting, so looking forward to it.”

Division 1 Lidl Ladies National Football League fixtures

Saturday 19 February 19

Division 1B

• Dublin v Cork; Croke Park, 5.15pm, live on TG4

Sunday February 20:

Division 1A

• Galway v Mayo; Tuam Stadium, 2pm
• Westmeath v Donegal; St Loman’s, Mullingar, 2pm

Division 1B

• Waterford v Meath; Fraher Field, Dungarvan, 2pm

– With the exception of Dublin-Cork, all other weekend fixtures can be viewed by accessing the LGFA’s subscription portal.

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TEN YEARS AFTER breaking onto the inter-county scene and capping a glittering debut season with an All-Star, Cáit Lynch is back leading the Kerry charge.

The experienced Castleisland Desmonds defender first joined the senior set-up in 2012, and within a few months, was named among the best 15 players in the country.

“It’s all gone downhill since,” Lynch laughs. “It was a great first year, we got to the All-Ireland final. We were still probably pretty green, played Cork and lost, but an amazing, amazing experience.

“It’s mad – now I know I took a few years off as well, but last year was our first year back in Croke Park again, which is incredible to think that it’s taken that much time for us to get back there. It’s been a nice journey as well to be on.”

The return to HQ the 29-year-old refers to was the 2021 Division 2 league final, in which Meath toppled the Kingdom. And we’re all well aware of how the rest of the year went for the history-making Royals.

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From All-Stars and All-Ireland finals, Munster, Division 2 and O’Connor Cup glory, to the Kerry captaincy and All-Ireland intermediate club honours, Lynch enjoyed a fruitful few years up until 2016.

But then she left her Gaelic games roots behind her, heading to Amsterdam to work with Bord Bia.

“I spent a year-and-a-half over there and then just decided to travel for six months or something like that,” she explains. “But that ended up being about a year-and-a-half. I couldn’t stop, I loved it so much.

“I based myself in Honduras for the bones of a year, just scuba diving and got a job there. A friend of mine opened up a brewery and he asked me to manage it. Opened it up, started brewing the first IPA beer [in Honduras].

Facing Orla Finn in 2014.

Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHO

“I was living the life really. Honduras is so stunning, the people are fabulous. Everywhere in Central America, it’s beautiful and people are so nice. It’s just a really nice part of the world to travel.”

No matter how far away she was, she always kept an eye on matters back home, simply wanting the best for her team-mates.

But she’s firmly back alongside them now, and committed to the Kerry cause once again.

Lynch is living in Dublin, and working in Lidl’s Head Office on the CSR purchasing team. A successful club run to familiar territory in the All-Ireland intermediate semi-final means she’s adjusted to the commute, and she’s hoping to sort a car pool as things ramp up.

She and fellow All-Star winning clubmate Lorraine Scanlon missed last weekend’s Division 2 league opening win over Tipperary, which inflicted further pain on the Premier after consigning them to the senior championship relegation final last year, though the duo should be back in situ in the coming weeks and months.

Below, Lynch takes a closer look at the Kerry set-up, and some of the big ins and outs.

Cáit Lynch on…

The management continuity of Declan Quill and Darragh Long, and how important that is after a turbulent time off the pitch a few years back…

I think this is their third year now. I came in at the end of 2020, so I think that would have been their first year. It’s all the same background team as well. It was great to go in, you know the the lads and the lads know you as well. There’s a good relationship that has been built between the players and the management, and everyone gets on really well. It’s a really happy camp, that’s just so important. It’s great to have them back again, and to have that consistency in management as well, it’s so important for any team. You’re not worrying about management, or who’s gonna train us or any of that. You can focus on the important stuff.

Squad changes and recent retirements…

The core of the group is still there. Except Ash Desmond is a humongous loss. She was a stalwart there in Kerry for so many years, and she’s put in huge shifts for the county. She’s really did the county service. Brilliant footballer, and she’s a pure leader. She’s such a leader from the backs and she did what she asked all of us to do, and then some as well. It was a treat having her in full-back. There’s a good few new younger players coming in this year as well. They all seem to be training brilliantly, they’re all fresh, young, sprightly, life ahead of them. Mad to run and full of beans. It’s good to inject new pace to it as well.

Aislinn Desmond in action for Kerry.

Source: Brian Reilly-Troy/INPHO

Anna Galvin as captain…

Yeah, it’s brilliant. I’m delighted to see Anna is our captain this year. She was a brilliant captain in a difficult year, back in 2020. And she’s a brilliant person on and off the field. Everyone gets on really well with her. When she plays, she’s inspirational. She is a pure leader. She gets everyone going, and just really helps glue the team together. It’s exciting to have her as the captain now this year.

Taking inspiration and motivation from what Meath did in 2021, especially given the fact Kerry beat them in the round-robin stages of Division 2 league…

It really is an any given day kind of a story that just gives hope to all of the other counties out there. I suppose for a while it was getting [to be] kind of a one-horse race so it’s great. I think it will build the excitement for the championship again this year and everyone is going to use Meath as an example of, ‘This is what we can do.’

It’ll give counties more belief because I think sometimes you can be as well prepared as you want, but if you don’t fully believe that you can actually win then it’s very hard to actually get that over the line. Hopefully it’ll really just widen the championship, or kind of blow it open this year.

– Kerry face Clare in their Round Two clash in Doonbeg tomorrow [throw-in 3pm].

SARSFIELDS CAMOGIE STAR Maria Cooney says her side are grateful to have another attempt at regaining the senior All-Ireland title.

Sarsfields star Maria Cooney.

Source: Sportsfile

The Galway champions were made to wait for their maiden crown, needing three attempts before finally emerging as winners at the end of the 2019 campaign after a tough battle against Slaughtneil.

But they were outgunned by Wexford’s Oulart-The-Ballagh in the delayed 2020 decider which only took place in December. The completion of the championship was initially expected to be scrapped due to Covid-19, but after a lengthy battle, a suitable window was found in the winter to finish out the series.

It didn’t result in back-to-back success for Sarsfields, but as the 2021 provincial series quickly came into view, they didn’t have to spend long suffering with their wounds.

“It was really strange that there was such a quick turnover and timeline,” Cooney begins as Sarsfields prepare for an All-Ireland semi-final against their old rivals Slaughtneil on Saturday.

“But I suppose the first thing was that we were so thankful that last year’s one did go ahead. It’s such a championship and for it not to have been played would have been an awful pity.

“In a way, it was good that we didn’t have a huge amount of time to dwell on things and overthink things. We just had to put it aside and move on and hopefully learn from our mistakes.

“We didn’t get out of Galway in 2019 and the opportunity to even get there happen so seldom and I suppose Galway is a really tough championship. There’s a couple of teams there that are so close, so the couple of years we did get out, I suppose it was disappointing that we obviously had lost the two and then to not get out of Galway and we did overcome Slaughtneil to win our first one, it was great.

“Losing to Oulart-The-Ballagh was tough but again, any of the four teams that get to the All-Ireland semi-finals has to work really hard. Every team wants to win so I suppose they are huge challenges and any team you come up against is really good.”

There are several important family ties in the Sarsfields camp that have all achieved All-Ireland glory at club and county level.

The McGrath clan is probably the most significant one, beginning with the Sarsfields camogie manager Michael. Affectionately known as ‘Hopper,’ he has four daughters on the team [Clodagh, Niamh, Orlaith, and Siobhán].

The Cooneys are also Sarsfields royalty. Maria plays for the camogie team while her brother is star Galway hurler Joseph. They’re both children of Galway legend Joe, who enjoyed Liam McCarthy success with ‘Hopper’ McGrath.

“When you look at the families from when the lads won the club All-Irelands, the daughters are coming together. So, you have the McGraths and the Kennys and we’re all close in age.

“It is a huge thing, there is a lot of family ties and we’re lucky that we all came around the same time so there’s a good crop of us there together.

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“We are a very small club, there’s not too many people around and we’re all the one so it does make it that little bit more special. Everyone has such an interest and everyone is so involved.”

Maria Cooney pictured ahead of one of #TheToughest showdowns of the year, as Sarsfields (Galway) take on Slaughtneil (Derry) in the AIB Senior Camogie Club All-Ireland Championship semi-final tomorrow at 2pm at Kingspan Beffni Park, Cavan.

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A WEDDING, AN All-Ireland club camogie final and another championship campaign that has reached the semi-final stage.

Oulart-The-Ballagh’s Ursula Jacob.

Source: Sportsfile

Ursula Jacob has had a busy time on and off the pitch over the past two months. With her club Oulart-The-Ballagh, she played her part in helping to capture the 2020 All-Ireland senior championship after dethroning Galway’s Sarsfields in a final which was delayed until last December.

The long pause to complete the competition was due to a combination of Covid-19 and a well-documented battle with the Camogie Association which almost resulted in the All-Ireland series being scrapped.

Consequently, the conclusion of the 2020 championship has spilled into the 2021 provincial and All-Ireland series which got underway at the start of this year.

That didn’t leave much time for Oulart to toast their success before rebooting for a Leinster final clash against Dicksboro at the end of January.

The quick turnaround was all the more challenging for Jacob, who had a wedding day to fit into that block of time as well.

“You could say that alright, it’s been a hectic few months between everything,” she reflects as Oulart face into an All-Ireland semi-final against Clare’s Scariff Ogonolloe on Sunday afternoon.

“But at the same time, it’s been a brilliant few months. It’s been very difficult for everyone over the past couple of years but the camogie has been a brilliant distraction from all things Covid-related.

“Then obviously from a personal point of view, I only got married in December just after we won the All-Ireland. So, it’s been a manic few months but I wouldn’t have changed it for the world. Thankfully, both the wedding and the All-Ireland went well so I’m now a happily married woman and looking forward to the game on Sunday.

“It was great in one way because those games were one week after the other. 

“St Judes, Thomastown [Leinster final], Slaughtneil and then Sarsfields. When you win that All-Ireland, you know you’re after coming through the toughest route possible. And to top it off then, between myself and Stacey, we both had our weddings to look forward to. I’m just grateful that mine wasn’t the day before the final.”

At 36, Jacob has already achieved so much in her career. She was a key forward on the famous Wexford side who won four out of six All-Irelands from 2007 to 2012, including a three-in-row. 

Her Oulart team-mates Karen Atkinson and the Leacy sisters, Mary and Úna were also central to that effort, with Jacob eventually retiring from the inter-county scene in 2016.

The club game has been similarly profitable for this special group who have played together from a young age, winning All-Ireland crowns in 2011, 2014 and 2020.

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And even after all they have won in Wexford and Oulart colours, there’s still a hunger to hunt down the treasures on offer in the 2021 championship. 

The club has certainly benefited from their collective experience, but the longevity of their careers has attracted some negative remarks too. Speaking to the Irish Examiner after their Leinster final win over Dicksboro, Úna Leacy said that some of the pre-match commentary insulted their side by labelling them an “ageing team.”

“Look,” says Jacob when asked for her views, “you’re always going to have comments like that when you’ve girls still playing well into their 30s but to be honest, I don’t pay too much heed to that kind of outside distraction.

“We know our potential and talent ourselves. I’m playing senior club for 22 years. There’s some girls on our team who are only 22 years of age so they weren’t even born when I started out. When you cross the white line, and it’ll be the same on Sunday, Scariff won’t care what age I am or Úna Leacy or whoever.

“I think there’s too much made sometimes of someone’s age. You still are talented enough, fit enough and you’re able to go out on the field of play.”

As Oulart aim to keep their All-Ireland title defence on track this weekend, Jacob adds:

Oulart players celebrate their All-Ireland victory in December.

Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO

“We’re a very close knit bunch of girls, we’re all from Oulart-The-Ballagh. From Primary School right up, we’ve all been playing and in each other’s pockets and I think that stands in a club team.

“I suppose I definitely would agree that at this stage of my career, and the likes of Mary Leacy and that, we’ve been playing with Oulart senior teams since we were 14. We’re enjoying it just as much and it probably means even more because each game you now get to play, that’s a bonus.

“We probably would have been disappointed over the last couple of years that we were reaching the county final but didn’t get through. Something maybe changed in the attitude in the last couple of years.

“And we just really worked hard and throughout those lockdowns, the individual responsibility is probably what stood out for me.”

Ursula Jacob pictured ahead of one of #TheToughest showdowns of the year, as reigning champions, Oulart, face and Scariff Ogonnelloe in the AIB Senior Camogie Club All-Ireland Championship semi-final this Sunday, 20 February at 1:30pm at Clonmel Commercials GAA (Tipperary).

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Updated Mar 11th 2022, 12:00 PM

Friday

11.30am: Round 2, The Players’ Championship at TPC Sawgrass – Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Golf.

1pm: DCU v UCC, O’Connor Cup semi-final – LGFA Facebook & YouTube.

1.15pm: Paris-Nice, Stage 6 – Eurosport.

3pm: UL v NUI Galway, O’Connor Cup semi-final – LGFA Facebook & YouTube.

5.10pm: Sharks v Scarlets, United Rugby Championship – TG4 and Premier Sports 1.

7pm: Italy U20 v Scotland U20, Six Nations – BBC Sports website.

7.30pm: Day Two, The Players’ Championship at TPC Sawgrass – Sky Sports Golf (coverage continues).

7.45pm: Premier Division games (Shelbourne v Dundalk, UCD v Derry City, Drogheda United v Sligo Rovers) – LOI TV.

7.45pm: First Division games (Bray Wanderers v Galway United, Cork City v Cobh Ramblers, Treaty United v Longford Town, Waterford FC v Wexford FC) – LOI TV.

8pm: Wales v France, Guinness Six Nations – RTÉ 2.

8pm: West Brom v Huddersfield Town, Championship – Sky Sports Main Event.

8pm: Premier Division games (Shamrock Rovers v Bohemians, Finn Harps v St Patrick’s Athletic) – LOI TV.

Jack Byrne and Dylan Watts.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

8pm: Atletico Madrid v Cadiz, La Liga – La Liga TV.

Saturday

11.30am: Reading v Man United, FA Women’s Super League – Sky Sports Premier League.

12.30pm: Round 3, The Players’ Championship at TPC Sawgrass – Sky Sports Golf.

Shane Lowry.

Source: Marta Lavandier

12.30pm: Paris-Nice, Stage 7 – Eurosport.

12.30pm: Barnsley v Fulham, Championship – Sky Sports Main Event.

12.30pm: Brighton v Liverpool, Premier League – BT Sport 1.

2.05pm: Bulls v Munster, United Rugby Championship – TG4 and Premier Sports 1.

2.15pm: Italy v Scotland, Guinness Six Nations – Virgin Media One and ITV.

3pm: Brentford v Burnley, Premier League – Premier Sports 2.

4pm: DCU/UCC v UL/NUI Galway, O’Connor Cup final – Spórt TG4 YouTube.

4.45pm: England v Ireland, Guinness Six Nations – RTÉ 2 and ITV.

Eddie Jones.

Source: Andrew Fosker/INPHO

5pm: Sampdoria v Juventus, Serie A – BT Sport 3.

5.15pm: AFLW highlights – TG4.

5.30pm: Man United v Tottenham, Premier League – Sky Sports Main Event.

5.30pm: Borussia Monchengladbach v Hertha Berlin, Bundesliga – Sky Sports Football.

6pm: Armagh v Kildare, Division 1 football league – BBC NI Sport site, iPlayer and GAA GO.

7.15pm: England U20 v Ireland U20, Six Nations – RTÉ Player and RTÉ News Now Channel.

7.30pm: Kerry v Mayo, Division 1 football league – RTÉ 2.

Austin Stack Park hosts Kerry against Mayo.

Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO

7.35pm: Ulster v Leinster, United Rugby Championship – TG4 and Premier Sports 1.

7.45pm: AC Milan v Empoli, Serie A – BT Sport 1.

8pm: Montpellier v Toulon, French Top 14 – Premier Sports 2.

8pm: Round 3, The Players’ Championship at TPC Sawgrass – Sky Sports Golf & Sky Sports Main Event.

9.35pm: 2022 Cheltenham Festival preview – TG4.

Sunday

11am: AFLW highlights – TG4.

11.30am: Round 4, The Players’ Championship at TPC Sawgrass – Sky Sports Golf.

12pm: Luton Town v QPR, Championship – Sky Sports Main Event.

12pm: Paris Saint-Germain v Bordeaux, Ligue 1 – BT Sport 3.

12.30pm: Tottenham Hotspur v Man City, FA Women’s Super League – BBC Two.

1.45pm: Donegal v Monaghan, Division 1 football league – TG4.

Monaghan’s Conor McManus.

Source: Ben Brady/INPHO

2pm: Meath v Cork, Division 2 football league – TG4 app (Deferred coverage on TG4 at 5.35pm).

2pm: Chelsea v Newcastle United, Premier League – Sky Sports Main Event.

2pm: Verona v Napoli, Serie A – BT Sport 3.

2pm: Lions v Cardiff, United Rugby Championship – Premier Sports 1.

2.15pm: Paris-Nice, Stage 8 – Eurosport.

3pm: Northampton v Wasps, Premiership Rugby – BT Sport 1.

3.15pm: Real Betis v Athletic Bilbao, La Liga – La Liga TV.

3.45pm: Tyrone v Dublin, Division 1 football league – TG4.

4pm: Dundee v Rangers, Scottish Cup quarter-final – Premier Sports 1.

4.05pm: Stormers v Zebre, United Rugby Championship – Premier Sports 1.

4.30pm: Arsenal v Leicester City, Premier League – Sky Sports Main Event.

4.30pm: Borussia Dortmund v Arminia Bielefeld, Bundesliga – Sky Sports Mix.

5pm: Atalanta v Genoa, Serie A – BT Sport Extra 3.

5pm: Udinese v Roma, Serie A – BT Sport 1.

6.45pm: Brighton v Arsenal, FA Women’s Super League – Sky Sports Football.

7pm: Six Nations highlights – Virgin Media Two.

7pm: Round 4, The Players’ Championship at TPC Sawgrass – Sky Sports Golf & Sky Sports Main Event.

The famous 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass.

Source: David Rosenblum

7.45pm: Torino v Inter Milan, Serie A – BT Sport 1.

8pm: Clermont Auvergne v Bordeaux Begles, French Top 14 – Premier Sports 2.

8pm: Barcelona v Osasuna, La Liga – La Liga TV.

9.30pm: Allianz League Sunday GAA highlights – RTÉ 2.

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THERE WILL BE plenty of inter-county talent on show at the 2022 Yoplait Ladies HEC Championships this weekend.

There’s four more pieces of silverware up for grabs at DCU St Clare’s, where the O’Connor Cup is the showpiece, top-level competition.

After a two-year competition absence amidst the pandemic, the semi-final line-up will see hosts DCU Dóchas Éireann up against UCC on Friday afternoon, followed by the second semi-final between reigning champions from 2019, UL, and NUI Galway. The final is slated in for Saturday afternoon at 4pm [live on Spórt TG4 YouTube].

Here’s a closer look at some Meath, Dublin, Cork, Galway and Kerry stars worth keeping an eye on, with All-Ireland winners and All-Stars aplenty among them.

DCU Dóchas Éireann

Emma Duggan (Meath)

Duggan celebrating Meath’s historic All-Ireland win last September.

Source: Bryan Keane/INPHO

Unquestionably one of the best forwards in the country, Duggan is the lynchpin of a potent DCU attack. Still only 19 and a first year college student, the Dunboyne ace has lit up the inter-county scene over the past few seasons.

Duggan finished 2021 as an All-Ireland champion and All-Star with Meath, while also adding Division 2 league and county and provincial club honours. A huge scoring threat and deadly accurate from placed ball, the towering attacker plays with the maturity of an established inter-county stalwart despite her relatively young age. 

Jennifer Dunne (Dublin)

Dunne was on hand as Yoplait Ireland were announced as new sponsors of LGFA’s third-level competitions.

Source: SPORTSFILE.

Duggan and Dunne are but two of a star-studded DCU outfit. Dublin All-Star Dunne is joined by inter-county team-mates Carla Rowe, Niamh Hetherton and Abby Shiels, while Offaly dual star Kate Kenny, Meath All-Ireland winner Orlagh Lally and Anna Rose Kennedy of Tipperary are among other key players for the Glasnevin side. 2021 league winners, the recent O’Connor Cup champions are firm favourites heading in.

Dunne has established herself as one of the country’s top midfielders over the past few seasons, her athleticism and physicality marking her out from the crowd. The Cuala powerhouse and three-time All-Ireland winner has been ever-present for the Sky Blues since making her debut in 2017, and often pops up with a score or two.

UCC

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Sadhbh O’Leary (Cork)

O’Leary shooting against Tipperary last year.

Source: Ken Sutton/INPHO

O’Leary has been drafted into the Cork attack many a time in the past few years, but 2021 was a real breakthrough season for the youngster. A standout performer for the Rebels in the league and scorer of 2-4 in championship fare, she finished up an All-Star nominee, in the running for the right corner forward position alongside Vikki Wall and Aimee Mackin.

Forming a deadly alliance with Orla Finn for Kinsale at club level, O’Leary is a real rising star on the national stage and that has continued at UCC, where she combines with inter-county team-mate Katie Quirke in the skull and crossbones’ forward line.

Emma Cleary (Cork)

Cleary on the ball for Cork last year.

Source: Bryan Keane/INPHO

One of a strong Éire Óg contingent in the UCC squad, captain Cleary is still only 21 and in her third season on the Cork panel. She joins O’Leary and Quirke in the forward line, having excelled for the Rebels through the underage ranks before the posts.

Opportunities have been few and far between at inter-county level as Shane Ronayne’s side remain one of the most competitive squads in the county, though she’s impressing under the watchful eye of her father, legendary Cork footballer John, on the colleges’ scene. As UCC eye their first O’Connor Cup crown since 2012, Aghada defender Sarah Leahy and Waterford forward Kelly Ann Hogan are among their other key players.

UL

Erika O’Shea (Cork)

O’Shea at the announcement of Yoplait Ireland as new sponsors of LGFA’s third-level competitions.

Source: SPORTSFILE.

O’Shea followed up her breakout inter-county season of 2020 with an All-Star winning one in 2021. A vital cog in the Cork machine, the 19-year-old defender has been consistently excellent for the Rebels since lighting up Croke Park in the controversial 2020 All-Ireland semi-final win over Galway.

The Macroom star provides piercing runs from half-back, and more often than not, holds some of the biggest names in the game scoreless. It’s been a colourful path for O’Shea, who has faced many setbacks in her career so far and momentarily quit football. She’s also a talented basketball player, and lined out for Glanmire through the off-season.

Hannah O’Donoghue (Kerry)

O’Donoghue lining out for Kerry in 2019.

Source: Lorraine O’Sullivan/INPHO

O’Donoghue enjoyed a memorable senior inter-county debut aged just 16 in 2017, scoring 1-4 in a stunning performance as Kerry reached the All-Ireland semi-final. There and then, she made a real name for herself on the national stage, having previously impressed through the Kingdom’s underage ranks, winning a host of All-Ireland medals. 

An underage soccer international with the Republic of Ireland and former Cork City star, the ever-lively and hugely-talented O’Donoghue has a real eye for goal. That will prove vital if UL are to retain their title. Her Kerry counterparts Fiadhna Tangney and Julie O’Sullivan and Kilkerrin-Clonberne and Galway pair Ailish Morrissey and Lynsey Noone are a couple more UL players to look out for. 

NUIG

Melissa Duggan (Cork)

Duggan facing Cork in 2021.

Source: Ken Sutton/INPHO

Another of Cork’s top and most consistent players over the past few seasons, two-time All-Star Duggan has been inspirational for NUI Galway since making the move out west to continue her studies.

Like O’Shea, the defender is slight in stature, though teak-tough and a prolific attacking threat. Duggan is the definition of a workhorse, and loves getting up the field and in on the act in the forward line en route to dispatching goals.

Expect big impact, as always, from the Doheny’s ace this weekend.

'We were starstruck when she arrived down at training!' – NUIG captain Niamh Daly on the impact of Cork TG4 All Star Melissa Duggan.

See Daly score her team's second goal in tonight's Yoplait O'Connor Cup win, from our Live Stream coverage.. @GalwayLgfa @CorkLGFA @LadiesHEC pic.twitter.com/1JisY2v99r

— Jerome Quinn (@JeromeQuinn) March 2, 2022

Hannah Noone (Galway) 

Hannah Noone (right) in action in the All-Ireland club final.

Source: Lorraine O’Sullivan/INPHO

A recent club All-Ireland winner with Kilkerrin-Clonberne, Hannah is one of two Noone sisters lighting it up with NUIG. Her younger sibling, Eva, lines out alongside her while Lynsey is in the UL set-up. All three starred in January’s club decider win over back-to-back champions Mourneabbey.

Hannah was the Galway minor captain as recently as 2020 and also All-Ireland-winning U16 skipper with the Tribe in 2018, so her leadership skills and talent have been evident from a young age. A Quick and agile half back, she’ll ask serious questions of opposition. Kate Geraghty, Chelsie Crowe (both Galway) and Aoife Geraghty (Mayo) are three more to watch for the Westerners, as they target a maiden O’Connor Cup title lift.

2022 Yoplait Ladies HEC O’Connor Cup semi-final fixtures

Friday March 11 

• DCU Dóchas Éireann v UCC, DCU Grass Pitch 1, 1pm – Live on LGFA Facebook & YouTube  
• Yoplait O’Connor Cup semi-final – UL v NUI Galway, DCU Grass Pitch 1, 3pm – Live on LGFA Facebook & YouTube.

For a lowdown on what the new smart sliotar entails, go here. 

1. U20s will train with smart sliotars

The new balls will be trialled in the upcoming All-Ireland U20 hurling championship, which takes place in April and May.

Before the games, 24 unbranded balls will be supplied to each team in a sliotar bin. 

Smart sliotar work group member Brendan Cummins said that counties will be given smart sliotars to train with before the provincial competitions begin. 

“Each one of the county teams involved in the U20 championship this year will get a sample of balls to train with,” he said.

“So it’s not the first time one of their free-takers or their goalie gets the ball or any of their players in the first round of the championship, this ball with a red dot on it and they’re going putting it down.

“I know from dealing with the  U20s, you don’t want to throw out anything that spooks them for all the world so each manager will get a supply of balls to make sure there’s fairness across it, to practise in training with those balls.

“I thought that was very important to say as well so it’s not just, ‘Here’s the ball, off you go.’”

2. Will the GAA target bas sizes next?

A lack of standardisation of sliotars has long been a bugbear of hurling folk. The GAA first started to work in the area back in 2003, so it’s been a lengthy process.

Another issue that has been much-discussed in recent years as been the increasing size of the bas on hurleys, particularly those used by free-takers.  

“Let’s get the sliotar done first and then we’ll look at the next round if we’re going to do anything,” said president Larry McCarthy when asked if the GAA had plans to authenticate bas sizes. 

Cummins added, “It’s something maybe further down the line that I think the GAA will look at. Our brief certainly was just to make sure we’d modernised the sliotar design and standardised the manufacture of it to know where it came from. We’ve done that.

“Maybe that’s an exercise the GAA can look at further down the road. I know certainly if I’m a player or free-taker, if I can get a bas that’s slightly bigger then I’m going for it and that’s what everybody is doing. For the time being that seems to be okay.” 

Reading in between the lines, once the sliotars are addressed there’s every possibility McCarthy will turn his attentions to standardising bas sizes.

3. Other uses for smart sliotars 

As it stands the microchip in the smart sliotars is there for traceability purposes. Cummins said the insertion of the tag made “no difference whatsoever” to how the ball behaved.

Can the sliotar identify if it has crossed the goal-line?

“That’s a different technology altogether,” said McCarthy. “It would be a heavier technology and at the moment there are no systems out there that would be able to do that accurately without changing how the ball behaves. This is merely around being able to identify that this is an official sliotar.”

Illegal handpasses is another hot topic in the GAA at present, but Cummins said it won’t be possible to develop technology in a sliotar to show if the ball has been properly played. 

“(Not) unless you put a chip in every player’s hand which brings the human rights issues completely out the window!” said the Tipperary legend. 

However, he feels “players will adjust” in the coming weeks.

“Last year we had a free-taking competition in the first three rounds of the league and we all thought our game was bust, we all had our head in our hands and it ironed itself out and it’ll be the exact same way with this – players will learn,” said Cummins. 

“If they’re training four or five nights a week, they’re thinking about hurling every day of the week, it’s their absolute life so they will work out that ‘if I don’t have clear space in my hand then it’s a free and it costs my team’

“And they will adapt very, very quickly, the next couple of rounds of the league I would expect you’ll see less and less of that and we won’t be talking about it I hope by the time we get to championship.” 

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IT IS THREE years since the Meath and Cork footballers crossed paths in the league arena.

That Division 2 clash on a Saturday night in February 2019 saw Meath sign off with a six-point cushion by the final whistle and they journeyed home from Páirc Uí Rinn content, having reinforced their position of superiority at the top of the table.

Cork were struggling without a win from their first three games and the match provided a hint of what was to come for both that spring – Meath wound up promoted and ready to embrace life in the top tier, Cork ended up relegated and fell through the trapdoor to the third grade.

On Sunday they renew acquaintances, this time in Navan, but again in a Division 2 encounter weighted with importance. The backdrop is different. Neither are in the relegation spots as things stand but without a win in their combined eight appearances to date this season, they are looking anxiously over their shoulders. Meath are only a point clear of the drop zone, Cork only escaping on scoring difference and that’s by a wafer-thin margin with their total of -23, marginally better than Down (-24) and Offaly (-25).

Páirc Tailteann hosts Sunday’s game.

Source: Brian Reilly-Troy/INPHO

A Round 5 game in those circumstances would naturally be surrounded in tension but that’s compounded by the shift in the summer football system that awaits.

Division 3 and 4 league teams will be participating this year in the Tailteann Cup, rather than the Sam Maguire race, and with that based on the promotion and relegation outcomes from the current league, the stakes are raised for those dropping out of Division 2.

If Meath or Cork were to fall, they could avoid the Tailteann Cup by reaching a provincial final, but the path there for both is far from straightforward. Meath will be favoured to win their quarter-final against Laois or Wicklow, but with a semi-final likely awaiting then against Dublin, it would be a sizeable task to break the stranglehold their neighbours have exerted on Leinster football.

Cork can relate. They have home advantage for their Munster semi-final on 7 May, but taking down a Kerry team that hammered them by 22 points last summer and a county that have lifted every Munster senior crown bar one since 2012, is an onerous task.

The Cork footballers before this season’s league game against Roscommon.

Source: Bryan Keane/INPHO

History and tradition would put a sharp focus on the removal of a powerhouse like Meath or Cork from the All-Ireland race. Between 1996 and 2010, the pair won three All-Ireland titles and enjoyed seven final appearances between them.

Those days at the top seem like a distant memory and yet there is a more recent experience to illustrate the slide they have experienced.

At the end of 2019 season, both would have had reason to be upbeat. Securing Super 8s qualification was indicative of a rise in their fortunes. They lost the six games they played when challenging the country’s football elite but there was promise for stretches of those games (Meath against Mayo and Kerry, Cork against Dublin and Tyrone), to suggest that the experience stockpiled would serve them well as they sought to close the gap.

Instead neither have pushed on. Cork have been defeated in two Munster finals, chastening experiences in contrasting ways, while Meath have lost twice to Dublin in championship games, contrasting performances with the same conclusion. The league in 2020 saw Meath relegated and Cork promoted, before in 2021 neither made a successful charge to get promoted from Division 2.

So what has this season revealed about both?

Meath were on the backfoot straight away. They trailed 1-9 to 0-0 at half-time against Galway and by 1-12 to 1-3 at half-time against Roscommon. Stormy conditions hindered good football on both occasions but those starts proved costly and paved the way for ultimate defeats.

Patrick Kelly and Gavin McGowan after Galway played Meath.

Source: Ben Brady/INPHO

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If that Connacht duo are chasing promotion, Meath then met fellow relegation scrappers Down and Offaly but couldn’t chisel out a victory against either. A pair of draws hasn’t provided a springboard, albeit they showed guts to rescue a result against Offaly with a late goal.

Cork have been knocked over by three defeats, discovering why Roscommon, Derry and Galway are all high fliers. A draw against Clare provided some encouragement and the remaining fixture list looks more promising as they face teams of a similar stature in Meath, Down and Offaly. The striking split in standards in this division means Cork’s schedule always looked less daunting at the back end.

Cork’s challenges can be attributed in part to the scale of change in their setup. In their first three games, 13 players featured without previous league or championship experience at senior level – John Cooper, Joe Grimes, Rory Maguire, David Buckley, Mark Cronin, Chris Óg Jones, Mark Buckley, Shane Merritt, Paudie Allen, Fionn Herlihy, Chris Kelly, Billy Hennessy and Daniel O’Connell. They are a collection of players rising from Cork’s 2019 U20 winning squad or off the back of promising recent runs at local level with their clubs.

It has been a harsh learning environment to be exposed to, little time to adjust when taking on more seasoned and cohesive teams. Having experienced operators alongside them would help emerging footballers, but of the 20 players that lined out in last summer’s Munster final, nine weren’t available last time out against Galway. A mix of reasons – retirement, opting out, injury and squad changes – contributed. 14 of the Derry team that breezed past Cork last month in Owenbeg, had played when they were pipped by Donegal in Ulster last July. The contrast in collective understanding was noticeable, as was the difference in conditioning.

In a wider sense this all illustrates the huge turnover Cork football has experienced with a staggering 91 players having lined out in senior league or championship for the county  since the start of 2017.

A chaotic injury list has also been a hammer blow. Cork’s two best defenders – Sean Powter and Sean Meehan – are both currently on the treatment table, watching on for critical games when their input is needed. Other promising defenders like Liam O’Donovan, Nathan Walsh and Maurice Shanley are longer-term injury absentees. Further up the pitch, options like Brian Hayes, Brian Hartnett, Damien Gore and Cathail O’Mahony have missed the league to date. Look beyond the current senior setup and two of the county’s best players in last year’s Munster U20 win – Diarmaid Phelan and Conor Corbett – are at present out with torn cruciates.

Meath can understand that upheaval. They have seen pillars of their team like full-back Conor McGill and midfielder Bryan Menton out injured this spring. Mentor’s partner in the middle, Ronan Jones, only returned recently to action. Centre-back and captain Shane McEntee will miss the rest of the football year as he has been deployed on an overseas mission with the Irish Defence Forces.

Scoring has been an issue for Meath, only Down (37) have a lower aggregate points total across the four divisions in this year’s league than the Royals with 45. For Cork it’s at the opposite end with no team in the league having shipped more than their tally of 79.

Manager Andy McEntee and Keith Ricken head into a critical closing stretch then of the league. It’s McEntee’s sixth year in charge, a position only retained after last October’s vote to remove him did not get sufficient support at a county board meeting in Trim. It is Ricken’s first year in charge, the good vibes after his work with county underage teams, preceding difficult experiences at the top level.

It’s been a tough and challenging start to 2022 for both setups.

Sunday has the look of a defining day and a badly-needed chance to start turning the corner.

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THE MANAGER OF the Roscommon minor footballers says he is “very proud” of his squad who have united to show solidarity with one of their team-mates who comes from Ukraine.

Nikita Berzins is an emerging defender from the Kilmore/Shannon Gaels club who has family that are based in the centre of Ukraine. Following the Russian invasion of his home country, the Roscommon team and management joined together to send over vital supplies that will help Ukrainian people through this time of conflict.

James Duignan, who was appointed as manager of the side last November after previously working as a selector on the team, tells The42 that his squad wanted to do something practical for Nikita after the violence began in Ukraine recently.

“After the first few days [of the invasion] myself and the management team were worried about Nikita. His own club chairman, Chris O’Dowd, is very good and he brings him to training every night.

“So, we were just kind of wondering, ‘What can we do?’ 

“We were playing a match last Saturday and the minor county board chairman, Shay Galvin, came to me and said that a friend of his called PJ Fallon & Sons runs a tool equipment business in Roscommon town and that he was sending over a container to the Ukraine.

“He [Shay] suggested we do our own collection. So, I put the message out on Saturday night after we all came home and the response was absolutely massive from all the players and the parents. It showed the generosity of the Roscommon people, just brilliant straight away jumping on it.

“We gathered at training on Tuesday night. I got a van from work and we filled it. We left it off then that night at PJ Fallon’s and as of this morning, the container is in Poland on the way to Ukraine.”

Duignan also spoke to Nikita to get his permission before proceeding with the collection, and made a speech to the players about the significance of their project.

“It was emotional even for me giving the speech,” Duignan adds. “And looking down at him, he got very emotional but I think he couldn’t believe the response on Tuesday. And he’s so thankful. If we can bring any joy to his life in such a difficult time, we were willing to do it.”

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The items that were gathered in the collection included important medical supplies, cleaning products and general material that have everyday uses. Duignan, along with other members of the backroom team, also made a contribution of supplies for babies.

“I have a four-year-old girl,” he explains, “and just from a human level, you never think you’d be going in to get bottles, baby toothbrushes, and you’re numb for a few hours after doing that shop.”

Duignan added that Nikita is coping well despite the horrific scenes that are unfolding in Ukraine. He was offered some time off to process everything, but insists that he prefers to be at training and have some release from the worries of what is happening abroad.

The players, Duignan says, were the driving force for this collection effort, and he is heartened by their sense of initiative in such a precarious time for one of their team-mates.

“He’s [Nikita] an awful resilient young man and he’s absolutely brilliant. He’s brilliant within our group and he has a great personality.

“I’m very conscious when you’re managing young boys that they all have their voice and all speak. Even before this invasion, he would have been seen as a good character and a really hard trainer. 

“But, he would say himself that the GAA is just an outlet to get away from it for a while.

“People talk about the youth of Ireland and so many people give out about them. I have to say this bunch of young men, every single one of them would have a quiet word with Nikita at training.

“For them to come and fully embrace this along with their parents, they’re a fantastic group and I’m very proud of them.”

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SOME OF THE country’s top ladies football stars are facing the prospect of playing three games in three days this weekend.

The semi-finals and finals of colleges’ championship action take place on Friday and Saturday respectively, while the Division 1 and 3 relegation play-offs are slated in for Sunday.

The O’Connor Cup is the the top-level colleges’ competition down for decision in DCU, while Westmeath, Waterford, Louth and Wicklow are the counties involved in relegation battles in Abbotstown on Sunday afternoon.

Westmeath players, in particular, have been vocal about the heavy schedule with the 2021 All-Ireland intermediate champions affected as they look to avoid the drop to Division 2 against the Déise.

“Great to see Division 1 and 3 relegation games fixed for the same weekend as the college football,” Karen Hegarty tweeted yesterday with an eye roll emoji.

“Players potentially playing 3 must win games in 3 days!!! Surely it could have been fixed for any other weekend.”

Her team-mate, star forward and 2021 Intermediate Player of the Year Sarah Dillon, who is due to be in action in the Lynch Cup with TUS Midlands, added:

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“With the relegation game being played the same weekend as the college finals could potentially mean myself and some teammates could have to play 3 games in 3 days!! Surely there is another free weekend to play this game?”

“How can the Division 1 relegation [play-off] between Westmeath & Waterford go ahead the same weekend as college finals,” former Lake county player and current coaching figure Carole Finch asked.

“Surely this can be pushed to next weekend, what’s the rush? Player welfare? same story.. different year.”

Antrim player Grainne McLaughlin shared that she “can’t comprehend this” and branded the situation “disappointing,” while Cork ace Eimear Scally wrote: “RIP to any college students playing this weekend who also have to play for their County panels on Sunday.”

The42 understands that these fixture dates were voted through by counties, with the general consensus being relegation matches would be played directly after the group stages of the Lidl Ladies National Football Leagues.

It’s believed that those involved were offered the opportunity to postpone this weekend if both counties could reach an agreement and settle on an alternative date, as was the case with Clare and Tyrone who will now play the Division 2 relegation play-off on 3 April.

When contacted by The42, the GPA stressed that “player welfare takes precedence” and suggested that any clashes could have been avoided had the LGFA pulled its inter-county fixtures.

The players’ body, who is working with the players involved, labelled the situation as “disappointing” and called for greater consultation with fixture makers going forward.

The42 also approached the LGFA and the four counties impacted for comment, though had yet to receive a response at the time of publication.

– updated 5.40pm with GPA comment.