Ulster Club Ladies’ SFC semi-final
Errigal Ciaran (Tyrone) v Bredagh (Down) (Sunday, Dunmoyle, 2pm)
TYRONE champions Errigal Ciaran and their Down counterparts Bredagh will put everything on the line in a bid to reach the Ulster senior final when they meet in Sunday’s semi-final at Dunmoyle.
Errigal won their first county title since 2015 with an extra-time defeat of St Macartan’s and they saw off former Ulster champions Termon in the quarter-final 3-11 to 2-4, Maria Canavan hitting 3-8 of her side’s total.
Bredagh won a 10th county title this year, a sixth in-a-row, as they continue to dominate the senior club scene in Down, and after reaching the Ulster final in 2021, where they lost to Donaghmoyne after a replay, and then losing to Moneyglass at the first hurdle last year, they will be keen to get back to the decider.
They defeated Fermanagh champions Kinawley in the quarter-final 4-11 to 0-5, captain Eilish Ward scoring two goals.
Errigal last reached an Ulster club final in 2007, dethroning reigning provincial and All-Ireland champions Donaghmoyne, which was also the last time they reached the last four.
Both sides know they are in for a real battle and that nothing short of a top-drawer performance will do if they are to get over the line.
Errigal captain Meabh Corrigan is relishing the opportunity before them but know they face a real test from Bredagh.
“Bredagh are such a successful team and have so much experience playing in Ulster club so they will be a massive test. We’ll be focussing on our own game like we have done all year and will have a good go at it,” she said.
“There’s only so much you can control, and at this stage of the season a lot of the work has been done, so we just have to trust our process and the rest will play out itself throughout the game.”
Her Bredagh counterpart Eilish Ward says Errigal’s performances in their last two games have made other teams sit up and take notice and know they too much be at their best if they are to return to a second final in three years.
“They have had a brilliant season and their performances in the last two games to get over Macartans and Termon, who are two stalwarts in terms of Ulster ladies’ football, obviously mean they are performing really, really well, they are at home for the semis too, so they are going to be a really formidable challenge,” said Ward.
“I think that is up to us to try and come up to their level and match that. We are firmly focussed on our own game and trying to do what we can and what we can control to get over the line.
“We could worry about Errigal all day long, but for us, we can’t control anything about their performance, for us it’s about focusing on our game and playing to our strengths and bring that to the fore.”
