AIB All-Ireland Club Junior A Camogie Championship final
Granemore (Armagh) v Knockananna (Wicklow)
(Saturday, Ashbourne, 1.30pm)
GRANEMORE will be favourites to lift their second successive All-Ireland junior title in Ashbourne today, but they are facing a team that are experienced enough and could upset the apple-cart.
The Armagh champions seem to have grown in confidence since losing the Ulster final two years ago to Brídíní Óga, Glenravel – who went on to lift the national title at the expense of Knockananna.
Granemore carried the Ulster flag last year and sailed through the competition, beating the Wicklow side at the All-Ireland semi-final stage.
Progress this year has been even more pronounced. They got the usual tough battle with Ballymacnab in the county final, but had little problem with either Bredagh or Ahoghill in the provincial championship.
Last day out, they were always in control against Oran from Roscommon and were easing to victory when teenage midfielder Fiadhna Loughran picked up a red card that means that she will miss the final.
Loughran had been slotting in well at midfield beside Ciara Hill and the pair had been the engine-room of their push for back-to-back All-Ireland titles.
Solid at the back around Gráinne McWilliams, they have more fire-power up front with Corrina Doyle and Jordan Carr good support for the ever-present threat that is Rachel Merry.
Hopefully the red card for Loughran doesn’t mean a re-construction of the team at the expense of the forward line.
Still, Knockananna don’t carry a huge scoring threat. They are a hard-working team that has been there or thereabouts for the past couple of years, but there is no forward that the Armagh champions should fear.
If they keep Shannagh Goetelen scoreless, they should do enough to secure a second successive title and move Armagh up to intermediate level.
Verdict Granemore are clear favourites.
AIB All-Ireland Club Junior B Camogie Championship final
Naomh Treasa (Tyrone) v Ceann Creige (Glasgow)
(Saturday, Abbotstown, 2pm)
DUNGANNON’S Naomh Treasa face into unknown territory today, something that can be said about most teams when they progress to All-Ireland level.
Usually there are results that can be compared, match reports from provincial newspapers to scrutinise, but things are a lot different when you face the British champions. And different again when they win the last two games in the All-Britain championship by 8-15 to 0-2 and 7-14 to 0-0.
Ceann Creige then travelled to Blanchardstown a fortnight ago and wiped out Pádraig Pearses of Longford by 3-11 to 0-1.
There are a few familiar names in the Ceann Creige team – Orla Donnelly from Ballycastle, Nicole Nugent from Newbridge and Anna McKee from Bredagh. All three featured in county under-age teams and were prominent with their schools, so it’s little wonder that they can make an impact at this level.
Naomh Treasa showed their experience in winning the Ulster championship and handling Annacurra, the Wicklow and Leinster title-holders, a fortnight ago. They are playing at a level that would have won this competition in any of the last three or four years.
No British champion has managed to get this far – and certainly no British champion has been as free-scoring as this Glasgow team. They are a serious threat to the Tyrone side’s title aspirations.
Verdict Naomh Treasa will only find out how good Ceann Creige are during the opening half. But a team that comes from nowhere with these scoring totals has to be a threat.
AIB All-Ireland Club Senior Camogie Championship final
Truagh-Clonlara (Clare) v Sarsfields (Galway) (Sunday, Croke Park, 4.15pm)
SARSFIELDS preserved a remarkable recent record two weeks ago with their comeback win over Loughgiel.
That semi-final win means that they have qualified for the All-Ireland final in eight out of the last nine seasons – they didn’t make it out of Galway in the other year.
Their performance in All-Ireland finals has not been quite as impressive, as they have lost four of the seven deciders to date, including last year’s defeat by first time finalists Dicksboro.
Tomorrow they will again face first-time finalists with the remarkable rise of Truagh-Clonlara.
They are the first Clare team to reach an All-Ireland Club final and they are only the third team from the county to claim a Munster title.
Every game along the way has been a real battle.
They beat Scariff-Ogonnollo, the last Clare team to reach the All-Ireland semi-finals, in the county final to take a first title.
Then they needed late goals from Eimear Kelly and Becky Foley to earn a 3-10 to 1-13 win over Clonulty-Rossmore in the Munster semi-final.
The next day out, in the provincial final, they came back from the dead to draw with Gailltir of Waterford.
The replay went to extra-time and then 45s. After five frees each, the teams were still locked together and the final then went to sudden-death before Truagh-Clonlara emerged with a 9-8 victory.
There was more drama a fortnight ago against St Vincent’s when they trailed by a point with just a couple of minutes remaining. However, very late points from Áine O’Loughlin, Aoibhin Marren and Becky Foley edged them through 0-11 to 0-9.
Sarsfields’ journey through their semi-final was dramatic enough as well, given that they were nine points behind after 15 minutes.
They used a lot of experience in Kingspan Breifne to get them over the line that day. It’s that experience that will play a big part in Croke Park.
Apart from the team they played in the Clare final, none of Truagh-Clonlara’s opponents since that day had gone further than they game they were playing in.
It was going to be a first for whoever survived the Munster games and All-Ireland semi-finals and Truagh-Clonlara got the breaks each time when their opponents faltered.
I can’t see an aging Sarsfields team faltering on the home straight. They may have to start with a slightly different team, however, as Caoimhe Kelly coming off the bench changed their semi-final and will probably start the decider.
But the McGrath sisters have resilience and a ruthlessness that will overpower the enthusiasm of the Munster side.
Verdict Sarsfields are very experienced and I believe they beat a very good team in Cavan. They should collect a fourth title.
AIB All-Ireland Club Intermediate Camogie Championship final
Clanmaurice (Kerry) v Ahascragh/Caltra (Galway) (Sunday, Croke Park, 2pm)
THE All-Ireland champions of 2023 coasted through the semi-finals a fortnight ago, their 1-15 to 2-10 victory flattering Laois champions St Brigid’s, while Ahascragh/Caltra were fortunate enough to get by Eglish after extra-time.
Clanmaurice are more or less the Kerry inter-county team and more than capable at this level of competition. They have leaders in Jacqui Horgan and Patrice Diggins and a solid all-round team while, based on the Eglish game, the Galway champions appear to rely a lot on free-taker Sarah Noone.
Verdict It will take a big effort to dethrone Clanmaurice
