TIPPERARY HAVE ABSOLUTELY flown from the traps at the beginning of the Littlewoods Ireland Camogie League and last year’s Division 1 semi-finalists brought their tally to 7-37 from two games with 4-21 to 1-5 defeat of Offaly at the Shamrock GAA grounds in Mucklagh.

That means Bill Mullaney’s charges have only conceded 1-8 in the 130-plus minutes or so of action and if they will know that there are tougher challenges to come than an understrength Down and Offaly, both without a substantial Portaferry and St Rynagh’s cohort, they are short a number of elite players themselves in Karen Kennedy, Orla O’Dwyer and Caoimhe Bourke.

They are clearly building real competition for places however, as they look to challenge for silverware in 2022 after a sustained period of progress in the last five years.

To put their dominance in perspective, they only scored six points in the second half, with Offaly adding three, and though the hosts certainly contributed the more even second half, there was a clear drop in intensity from women in blue and gold.

Up to then, they had been unstoppable, Róisín Howard so influential and Caoimhe Maher an industrious presence around the middle. That enabled the attack to make hay, with Caoimhe McCarthy and Clare Hogan among those to impress.

The duo had a goal each and Clodagh McIntyre rattled the onion sack too as Tipperary took on the role of enforcers inside the opening 13 minutes. Orla Gorman did breach the visitors’ defence before the break and Offaly did show plenty of character in the second half that gives them something to work with but Tipperary look like a team that mean business.

Also in Group 1, All-Ireland champions Galway got their campaign under way with a 1-15 to 0-6 defeat of a Dublin side that showed plenty before giving way at Round Towers GAA in Clondalkin.

Cathal Murray was without his sizeable Sarsfields contingent but he has used the league to allow newcomers establish themselves in the side over the past few years and sprinkled some less experienced operators with a slew of All-Stars for the trip to the capital.

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Dublin were in touching distance, however, trailing by just 1-9 to 0-5 until Jody Couch was given her marching orders for a second yellow card offence, nine minutes into the second half. They fought valiantly for most of the rest of the affair but it was no surprise that they would begin to tire as a result, and O’Reilly hit the game’s last four points to make it look slightly more comfortable than it might have been.

Aoife Donohue scored Galway’s goal.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

It was 1-7 to 0-4 at half-time, the teams having split the opening six points before Aoife Donohue’s 16th minute goal. Carrie Dolan, O’Reilly, Rebecca Hennelly and Catherine Finnerty raised white flags, while Aisling O’Neill, Aisling Maher and Sinéád Lohan were on the mark for the Adrian O’Sullivan’s crew.

O’Neill had replied to points from Finnerty and Áine Keane when Couch was sent off and it was always an uphill battle from there for the doughty Dubs.

In Division 2, a late goal from Róisín McCormick gave Antrim their second set of points in Group 3 by virtue of a 1-12 to 1-8 defeat of Galway in Portglenone.

Méadhbh Laverty, Siobhán McKillop and Caoimhe Wright were not even on the Saffrons panel last year, but the trio contributed seven points to a successful outing on this occasion.

Galway scored a goal through Tara Rutledge and Katie Gilchrist added a point in the couple of minutes before the short whistle to claw the visitors back into the game, trailing by just 1-7 to 0-3 and they hit the front after the restart.

Áine Magill and McCormick edged Antrim ahead once more however with Gilchrist pointing a free in reply to leave the game finely balanced over the last five minutes, until McCormick’s goal killed it off.

Meanwhile Derry, without the Slaughtneil or Eoghan Rua players involved in All-Ireland club games, fell to a second defeat, this time a double-scores loss to Wexford at Owenbeg. Wexford, who play in the senior championship, were ahead by 0-10 to 0-5 at the break and went on to record a 2-20 to 1-10 victory.

In the same group, Cork had a 4-16 to 2-6 over Kildare at Hawkfield and that means that Derry need to beat Kildare this coming weekend to avoid a relegation dogfight at the end of next month.

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AN UNSTOPPABLE GOAL from a penalty by Róisín Egan, early in the final quarter was the differential as St Rynagh’s confirmed their marginal superiority over Gailltír with a 2-11 to 1-11 victory in the AIB All-Ireland intermediate club camogie semi-final at Éire Óg Nenagh.

The sides have enjoyed a wonderful rivalry in recent years, with Gailltír beating Rynagh’s in an All-Ireland final before the Offaly women exacted revenge in the 2020 decider played in December and repeated the trick to book their spot in this year’s decider.

The penalty was awarded after a foul on Siobhán Flannery by Hannah Flynn, just a minute after Flannery had rifled a first-time shot of the sod inches wide when a goal seemed certain.

This time, her contribution did lead to a green flag, though Egan’s shot had to be inch-perfect and a bullet with that, as it hit the top corner to Ciara Jackman’s right, the ‘keeper almost getting her hurley to it.

Egan was monumental throughout, along with Kate Kenny and Flannery, and Kenny followed up quickly with a stupendous score, her fifth point. Within minutes of being level, Gailltír would go five down.

Gailltir’s Leah Sheridan in action against St Ryanagh’s Sinead Hanamy.

Source: Ken Sutton/INPHO

The gap went to five but they got it back to two, Molly Comerford and Annie Fitzgerald splitting the posts. Flannery landed a monstrous point with the last puck from a free and it was the Faithful women that progressed.

Gailltír started ideally with a sixth minute goal from the exciting Alannah O’Sullivan, who was alert to pounce when St Rynagh’s goalie Ellen Gilligan, a hero of the All-Ireland final, was caught advancing too far under Kate Lynch’s delivery and could only bat it up into the air. O’Sullivan was in like a flash to bat the sliotar to the net.

Crucially, St Rynagh’s responded in kind inside 60 seconds, when Linda Sullivan dispossessed Jackman as the netminder attempted to gather the sliotar following a brilliant run by Emma Corcoran, and was able to finish to an empty net.

It was nip and tuck from there until the penalty, as Kenny and Aoife Fitzgerald exchanged points, while Laoise Forrest stood out for Gailltír with three points from play. But once Egan billowed the net, the Offaly girls were clear and that was the margin in the end. The champions must now wait to see who will stand in the way of promotion to the senior ranks at All-Ireland level, as Portaferry (Down) and Salthill-Knocknacarra cross swords in Abbotstown today/tomorrow (Sunday).

St Ryanagh’s manager Molly Dunne celebrates with Helen Dolan and her daughter Liadán Dolan.

Source: Ken Sutton/INPHO

An early goal by joint captain Emma McAliskey propelled Derrylaughan Kevin Barrys to the AIB All-Ireland junior B decider, as a result of a hard-fought 1-5 to 0-6 triumph over Oran. The Red Hand representatives held the whip hand for the majority of proceedings as a result of that strike but they had to withstand a gutsy comeback from their Roscommon opposition.

Claire Curley and Caitriona Regan chipped away at the deficit before Orla Connolly brought the sides level from a 45 but Derrylaughan’s response was impressive as Elisha Gervin split the posts twice late on to book the final berth.

They will play Knockananna in the decider, after the Wicklow champs proved far too strong for Manchester outfit Fullen Gaels, prevailing by 2-15 to 1-2 in Abbotstown. Knockananna fell just short in last season’s decider played the week before Christmas, when another Tyrone team, Naomh Treasa edged them out and their motivation was very much in evidence as they eased clear.

The senior semi-final between old rivals Sarsfields (Galway) and Slaughtneill (Derry) was one of a number of games that fell foul of the havoc played by the weather on pitches but it is now scheduled to take place in Gorey tomorrow at 2pm.

Reigning champions Oulart the Ballagh (Wexford) and Scariff Ogonolloe (Clare) go head-to-head in the other last-four battle in Clonmel at 1.30pm.

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Dublin manager Dessie Farrell.

Source: Evan Treacy/INPHO

DUBLIN BOSS DESSIE Farrell has made one change to his starting 15 for tonight’s Division 1 National Football League clash with Mayo at Croke Park [throw-in 7.30pm, live on RTÉ 2].

Ryan Basquel starts at full-forward ahead of Cameron McCormack, as the Dubs look to bounce back from their defeat to Kerry in Killarney two weeks ago.

They’re bidding for their first win of the league after an opening day loss to Armagh in HQ, as they renew rivalries with their old foes. This comes as a repeat of last year’s dramatic All-Ireland semi-final, in which Mayo came out on top.

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Here is the Dublin Senior Football team for this evening's meeting with Mayo at Croke Park 👕

More here ➡️ https://t.co/C1OnYl3U4M#UpTheDubs pic.twitter.com/Q71YWaqZtz

— Dublin GAA (@DubGAAOfficial) February 19, 2022

Green and Red boss James Horan named his team earlier in the week, with Oisin Mullin back in the starting side after turning down a move to the AFL. There are several other changes throughout, with a strong bench named.

No Dublin substitutes have been listed.

The game forms part of a double-header, with Dublin facing Cork beforehand in the second round of the Lidl Ladies National Football League [throw-in 5.15pm, live on TG4].

All four starting teams are below.

Dublin (v Mayo)

1. Evan Comerford (Ballymun Kickhams)

2. Lee Gannon (Whitehall Colmcille), 3. David Byrne (Naomh Olaf), 4. Darragh Conlon (Ballymun Kickhams)

5. Séan Bugler (St Oliver Plunkett’s ER), 6. John Small (Ballymun Kickhams), 7. Seán McMahon (Raheny)

8. Brian Fenton (Raheny), 9. Tom Lahiff (St Jude’s)

10. Niall Scully (Templeogue Synge Street), 11. Ciaran Kilkenny (Castleknock), 12. Brian Howard (Raheny)

13. Lorcan O’Dell (Templeogue Synge Street), 14. Ryan Basquel (Ballyboden St Enda’s), 15. Dean Rock (Ballymun Kickhams) 

Mayo (v Dublin)

1. Rob Hennelly (Breaffy)

2. Lee Keegan (Westport), 3. Rory Brickenden (Westport), 4. Michael Plunkett (Ballintubber)

5. Oisin Mullin (Kilmaine), 6. Stephen Coen (Hollymount-Carramore – captain), 7. Donnacha McHugh (Castlebar Mitchels)

8. Matthew Ruane (Breaffy), 9. Jordan Flynn (Crossmolina)

10. Bryan Walsh (Ballintubber), 11. Diarmuid O’Connor (Ballintubber), 12. Jack Carney (Kilmeena)

13. Paul Towey (Charlestown), 14. Ryan O’Donoghue (Belmullet), 15. Aiden Orme (Knockmore)

Dublin (v Cork): A Shiels; J Tobin, L Caffrey, H Leahy; A Kane, M Byrne (capt.), O Nolan; J Dunne, K McDaid; C O’Connor, N Hetherton, K Sullivan; J Egan, H Tyrrell, N Owens

Cork (v Dublin): M O’Brien; M Ambrose, R Phelan, M Cahalane; L O’Mahony, M Duggan (capt.), E O’Shea; A Hutchings, S Kelly; E Cleary, L Coppinger, D Kiely; S O’Leary, K Quirke, O Finn.

FOR THE VAST majority of the last decade, Mayo played second fiddle in their rivalry with Dublin. 

This evening’s trip to Croke Park presents a rare opportunity for James Horan’s team to kick Dublin while they’re down. In the process they can build on last August’s All-Ireland semi-final win and strike another important psychological blow, perhaps confirming they now hold the upper hand in the war between these counties.

We became used to Dublin hitting the ground running in the league during the Jim Gavin era, but this time it’s the Westerners who’ve started the campaign unbeaten. It’s only the fourth time since 2007 they haven’t lost at least one of their opening two league games. The last three times it happened, they went on to make the final. 

The Dubs have lost three straight, and a fourth successive defeat would increase the pressure on Dessie Farrell, while leaving them mired in a battle for survival in the top flight.

It won’t be lost on Horan that Mayo haven’t beaten Dublin in the league since 2012, when he was starting his second season of his first stint in charge. They repeated the trick later that summer, surviving a late fightback to dethrone the champions in the last four of the All-Ireland series.

Naturally, both sides have undergone considerable transformations since then.

Dublin have three survivors from that team: Mick Fitzsimons, James McCarthy and Ciaran Kilkenny. Mayo retain their manager plus Lee Keegan, Aidan O’Shea, Kevin McLoughlin, Jason Doherty and Cillian O’Connor.

Expect to see a much-improved Dublin performance this evening. They’ll have been frustrated with the poor start to the year, coupled with all the discussion around their apparent demise. 

Dean Rock pointed out this week that, taking out their second-quarter fade-outs, Dublin hadn’t actually performed as badly as the narrative would suggest. He added that he was hopeful Farrell would have a full hand available to him this weekend. 

It’s a stretch to expect Dublin to return to a full compliment, but even the return of Eoin Murchan, Cormac Costello, James McCarthy and Con O’Callaghan would add energy, pace and firepower. 

Mayo won’t have the explosive Tommy Conroy for the rest of the season and Cillian O’Connor is still making his way back to full fitness. So they won’t have the firepower to hurt Dublin’s full-back line like Rian O’Neill and the Clifford brothers did.

The Connacht champions do have Ryan O’Donoghue continuing the form that saw him pick up his first All-Star last winter. Jason Doherty would have benefited hugely from the bye-week after two tough games on his return from a back-to-back cruciate injuries. 

And Oisin Mullin returns to the team, making his first start since turning down a professional contract with the AFL’s Geelong. 

Horan named a youthful starting team, particularly in attack where Jack Carney, Paul Towey and Aiden Orme all feature.  

If Mayo lose tonight, Horan will take criticism for his failure to put out a more experienced side with the intention of taking Dublin’s scalp when they’re vulnerable.

Over the last decade, Dublin never let Mayo gain confidence by losing to them in league games, even if they took place on a rainy Saturday night in Castlebar, months removed from the business end of the championship.

Dublin always saw the value in keeping your rivals down. They strived never to allow their rivals get a taste for winning competitive games.

Even during February meetings between 2018 and 2020, when Dublin were not long back from team holidays, they knew there were certain league games they couldn’t lose.

Brian Cody had a similar mantra during the Kilkenny glory days.

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“Playing Tipperary always brought more pressure but we loved playing them,” wrote Jackie Tyrrell in his autobiography. “We loved beating them even more. We couldn’t beat them enough.”

Dublin did likewise to Mayo over the years, until they didn’t. Last August, the Sky Blues were six points ahead at half-time but by the end of extra-time it was Mayo who were celebrating.

They ended the longest unbeaten run in the All-Ireland SFC, and took some of the aura of invincibility away from Farrell’s team. To do it twice in-a-row would be another milestone for this Mayo team. 

Don’t forget, after the 2012 All-Ireland semi-final, it took Mayo another nine years before they again experienced the feeling of beating Dublin. 

As Tyrrell said about on Tipperary, “If they beat us once, they’d act as if they had been thrashing us for a decade.” 

Mayo have beaten Dublin once. Now the challenge is to do it again. 

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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.