*Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CHAMPIONSHIP kicks off this weekend as the Banner Ladies begin a drive for five with a chasing pack eager and confident of knocking them off their perch.
Given that the Banner Ladies did not contest this year’s league final, clubs across the county are hopeful that this could be their year of claiming the senior championship and ending the aspirations of the Ennis based club driving for five in a row.
Kilmurry Ibrickane head into the championship with the league title under their belts and are placed in an extremely competitive Group A alongside 2019 champions Kilmihil, last year’s beaten finalists West Clare Gaels and St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield who were pipped to league glory via a free taking competition.
Holders Banner Ladies are joined in Group B by intermediate champions St Joseph’s Miltown, Burren Gaels and Fergus Rovers.
Three teams will qualify from each group, the top side advances straight to the semi-finals with the second and third placed teams going to the quarter-finals.
Group A:
Kilmihil
Management: Timmy Ryan (manager), Alan Normoyle (selector), Eamon Donnelly (selector)
Captain: Rosie Currane
Key player: Ailish Considine
One to watch: Kate O’Gorman
Fresh blood: Jenevieve Scullion
Departures gate: Sarah Browne.
Treatment table: None
Schedule:
Round 1 vs West Clare Gaels on Sunday August 11th in St Michael’s Park Kilmihil at 14:00
Round 2 vs St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield on Sunday August 25th in Gurteen
Round 3 vs Kilmurry Ibrickane on Sunday September 8th in Páirc Naomh Mhuire, Quilty
“We’re the same as everyone, we want to win every game play and we’re not looking beyond the first game. The first round is our only home game, we’re determined to lay down a marker at home this year, home advantage is not a determining factor but it is important and we want to make it count,” – Timmy Ryan.
West Clare Gaels
Management: Niall Bonfill (joint manager), Gearoid Lynch (joint manager), Sean Keogh (selector), Gerry McMahon (selector)
Captain: Grainne Harvey
Key player: Caoimhe Harvey
One to watch: Grace Marrinan.
Fresh blood: Aoife Keane, Faith Marrinan, Amy Roche, Amy Hogan, Susan McGrath, Heather Haugh, Eve Nagle.
Departures gate: Ruth Ferguson (overseas)
Treatment table: None.
Schedule:
Round 1 vs Kilmihil on Sunday August 11th in Kilmihil at 14:00
Round 2 vs Kilmurry Ibrickane on Sunday August 25th in Páirc Eoin, Cross
Round 3 vs St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield on Sunday September 8th in Páirc Eoin, Cross
“Starting off the first day is the most important. We had a huge battle with Kilmihil in the semi-final last year which went all the way to the last kick of the game. It is a very tough group with Kilmurry Ibrickane, Kilmihil and Doora/Barefield, it is a very tough group but our focus is to get off to a good start.
“The top team goes straight to a semi-final so all teams are targeting that but we’re away to Kilmihil for round one and that is the toughest possible start we could get, we’re looking forward to it” – Niall Bonfill.
St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield
Management: Paddy Frawley (manager), Maria O’Loughlin (selector), Niall Gavin (selector), Mark Reidy (selector), Caomhán Ó Braoinnáin (selector), Seán Rouine (S&C)
Captain: Siofra Ní Chonaill
Key player: Aisling Reidy
One to watch: Eabha O’Driscoll
Fresh blood: None.
Departures gate: Chloe Towey (transferred)
Treatment table: None.
Schedule:
Round 1 vs Kilmurry Ibrickane on Sunday August 11th in Gurteen at 14:00
Round 2 vs Kilmihil on Sunday August 25th in Gurteen
Round 3 vs West Clare Gaels on Sunday September 8th in Páirc Eoin, Cross
“We’re going to take it game by game. The league was great preparation for the championship but the focus has been on championship and the first round no matter who opponents were. The league was a long time ago and it’s in the rear view mirror for us now”.
“It is a difficult group, the three teams in it against were semi-finalists last year along with the Banner who are in the other group. We can only look at round one and that is our total focus” – Paddy Frawley.
Kilmurry Ibrickane
Management: Niall Hickey (joint manager), Patrick O’Connor (joint manager), Gary Sexton (S&C)
Captain: Chloe Moloney
Key Player: Chloe Moloney
One to Watch: Kayla Darcy
Fresh blood: None.
Departures Gate: None.
Treatment table: Jessica Doohan (broken leg)
Schedule:
Round 1 vs St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield on Sunday August 11th in Gurteen at 14:00
Round 2 vs West Clare Gaels on Sunday August 25th in Páirc Eoin, Cross
Round 3 vs Kilmihil on Sunday September 8th in Páirc Naomh Mhuire, Quilty
“Every game in our group is going to be a fifty fifty battle. West Clare Gaels were in the final last year, we met Doora/Barefield in the league final this year and it took free kicks to separate us, there was only a kick of the ball in it. Kilmihil have been boosted by having the two Considines so all four teams are going to fancy their chances because it is so even.
“We can’t look past the first game, we want to get a win in the first round, we haven’t looked past Doora/Barefield but we want to go a step further than reaching the semi-finals last year” – Niall Hickey
Group B:
St Joseph’s Miltown
Management: Graham Kelly, Ger Malone, John O’Malley, Seamus Byrne
Captain: Rachel Healy
Key Player: Áine Keane
One to Watch: Alva Devitt
Fresh blood: Sophie Nagle, Alva Devitt, Ria Foudy, Shauna Queally, Katie Meade, Áine O’Keeffe.
Departure Gate: None.
Treatment table: Abby Downes (leg), Ciara Ferguson.
Schedule:
Round 1 vs Banner Ladies on August 11th in Hennessy Memorial Park, Miltown Malbay at 14:00
Round 2 vs Fergus Rovers on August 25th in Hennessy Memorial Park, Miltown Malbay
Round 3 vs Burren Gaels on September 8th in Páirc Ciosóg Carron
“Would I have looked for an easier game to start off in the championship than the Banner, I probably would but this is where we want to be, we want to reach the levels of the kingpins, the Banner are the kingpins.
“This panel a lot of them have been there for the last six years since I got involved, we’re hoping to give a good account of ourselves this year, our main aim would be to stay up and build for the next couple of years and if we can cause a shock along the way, why not” – Graham Kelly
Banner Ladies
Management: JJ O’Dea (manager), Orla Kilkenny (coach, Dorothy Mee
Captain: Labhaoise Ryan
Key player: Laurie Ryan
One to watch: Laura Chesser
Fresh blood: Laura Chesser, Georgia White, Niamh Byrne.
Departures gate: Shannon Donovan, Alicia Malone, Grainne Nolan, Emma O’Driscoll, Niamh Keane, Shonagh Enright, Ciara Corbett, Siobhan McMahon,
Treatment table: None
Schedule:
Round 1 vs St Joseph’s Miltown on Sunday August 11th in Hennessy Memorial Park, Miltown Malbay at 14:00
Round 2 vs Burren Gaels on Sunday August 25th at Banner GAA Grounds
Round 3 vs Fergus Rovers on Sunday September 8th in Lissycasey
“To be honest we’ve been at the top for a long time and we knew this day was coming, the league proved that but that said the championship is different. The first round is so important, we still have good players and we’re hoping some new players might emerge. The best players are yet to come as I always say.
“People say we avoided the tough group but going back to Miltown won’t be easy, you have to aim for the first round”. – JJ O’Dea.
Burren Gaels
Management: Eoin Keane (manager), Michael Keating, Mairead Healy
Captain: TBC
Key player: Lizzy Roche
One to watch: Teresa Collins
Fresh blood: Lizzy Roche, Niamh O’Loughlin, Casey Tuohy, Ciara Mai O’Dwyer, Eileen Keating, Issy O’Connell, Lisa Murphy
Departure Gate: Emma Healy (overseas)
Treatment table: None
Schedule:
Round 1 vs Fergus Rovers on Sunday August 11th in Páirc Ciosog, Carron at 14:00
Round 2 vs Banner Ladies on Sunday August 25th in Ennis
Round 3 vs St Joseph’s Miltown on Sunday September 8th in Páirc Ciosog Carron (venue TBC).
“We want to get a good start in the championship and our aim from there is to get out of the group and push on from there. We had a solid league and got to a league semi-final and we want to build on that.
“We’ve targeted the first game, we want to get a good start and that will always help from going on from there”. – Eoin Keane
Fergus Rovers
Management: Barry Keating, Alan Culligan, Mairead Hayes, Patricia Meaney
Captain: Lauren Griffin
Key player: Louise Griffin
One to watch: Ava Cotter
Fresh blood: None.
Departures gate: Emma O’Connell.
Treatment table: Aine Slattery (leg), Rebecca Culligan (broken hand).
Schedule:
Round 1 vs Burren Gaels on Sunday August 11th in Páirc Ciosog, Carron at 14:00
Round 2 vs St Joseph’s Miltown on August 25th in Hennessy Memorial Park, Miltown Malbay
Round 3 vs Banner Ladies on Sunday September 8th in Lissycasey
“Realistically you’d hope to get out of the group with the best will in the world and be aiming for a semi-final position but we are very young. We’re building for the future, this year with everything going our way we could get to a semi-final.
“We have a good group of young girls coming up and great underage teams but it is a big difference playing minor and senior. In ladies football there is never a huge gap between teams except between the top three who have well experienced senior teams, on any given day anything can happen” – Barry Keating.
