TG4 All-Ireland Ladies’ IFC semi-final
Down v Tyrone (Sunday, St Tiernach’s Park, 2pm, live on Sport TG4)
This all-Ulster clash in Clones tomorrow will be an intriguing battle and one that could go either way.
Down are the Ulster champions. They qualified for the knock-out stages unbeaten with impressive wins over former senior sides Cavan and Westmeath, both of whom had only come down to intermediate in the last few years.
They then beat Monaghan for the second time this championship season in the quarter-finals.
Down were a junior team last year, winning the All-Ireland to come straight back up to intermediate after being relegated in 2022. They should not be blazing a trail through the both the provincial and All-Ireland intermediate championship, where many newly promoted teams struggle.
Antrim did buck that trend last year, winning Ulster and reaching the All-Ireland semi-final, where they found Clare a step too far.
Down also play Division Three football, so how can they consistently compete against teams playing a much higher level. Tomorrow’s opponents will play Division One next year.
Despite that slip down to junior for 2023, Down have been on an upward trajectory over the last three, four and five years and this is another stage in that natural progression, but it has been a lot of hard work to get there according to captain Meghan Doherty.
“This specific group have been together for a good few years and its taking a lot of hard work to get to where we are now,’’ she says.
“We have played some really tough games against exceptional opposition and the games have gone down to the wire, which just shows the standard of intermediate football.
“It’s great knowing after winning junior we have been able to compete well at intermediate level.
“Whatever the result may be on Sunday, it is a great achievement to make it to an All-Ireland intermediate semi-final, especially with us coming up from junior last year.
“For us as a unit and for Down football it is bonus territory making this stage and whatever the result we can be proud of ourselves and the year that we have had and it sets as brilliant progression for us in the coming years.”
The Carryduff player knows that Tyrone will be their biggest challenge yet but it’s one they are looking forward to.
“They are a seriously strong team and especially with them being promoted into Division One this year and us failing to get out of Division Three, it just shows the standard they hold.
“Championship football is a completely different level and Sunday will be our hardest challenge we have faced this year.
“You always hope that you can put it up to your opposition and we hope we can bring a good game on Sunday.
“We have lost a lot to Tyrone over the years, they are a seriously talented group of players, but we hope that we can go out on Sunday and play a good game against them.
