TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Senior Football Championship Final

Monaghan v Cork, Sunday, 4.00, Croke Park

Monaghan will attempt to win the All-Ireland Ladies SFC for the first time since 1997 when they take on the might of Cork in Sunday’s final at Croke Park.

Under the guidance of new manager Gregory McGonigle, Monaghan have had a great year so far, starting with their pre-season O’Dowd Cup success. They won all seven group games in the National Football League Division One, before getting a reality check when they lost the semi-final to Laois.

Comprehensive wins over Armagh, Down and Tyrone saw Monaghan retain the Ulster championship and they powered past Meath in the All-Ireland quarter-finals to set up a meeting with Kerry in the last four. That semi-final saw Monaghan get a real test of character when they let an eight-lead slip and fell behind twice in the second half, but a 15-minute burst of 2-5 without reply regained control for the Farney county, who went on to win by nine points.

Cork have been the standard-bearers in ladies inter-county football in the last decade. They won five successive titles between 2005 and 2009 and although their bid for six-in-a-row was ended last year, they have bounced back to return to Croke Park. Wins over Clare and Kerry saw them retain the Munster championship, before they produced a storming finish to edge past Dublin in a thrilling All-Ireland quarter-final. The Rebelettes had a relatively straightforward semi-final, where they proved far too strong for Laois.

Monaghan have plenty of options up front, with all six starting forwards capable of making and taking scores. Caoimhe Mohan has exploded onto the senior inter-county scene by scoring nine goals in her five championship games to date and she has found the net at least once in each of her last four games. Cathriona McConnell (whose return from America boosted Monaghan in the run-up to the quarter-finals), Therese McNally, Ciara McAnespie, Niamh Kindlon and Ellen McCarron are also key players in attack. McAnespie didn’t score against Kerry, but she still contributed by setting up three of Monaghan’s four goals. Amanda Casey and Cora Courtney have been going well at midfield, while captain Sharon Courtney has led the defence in style, winning the Player-of-the-Match award against Kerry, with good support from Aoife McAnespie, Lavina Connolly and Christina Reilly. McGonigle also has options on the bench in the likes of Laura McEnaney and Natasha Mohan.

Cork have quality all over the pitch, not least in their full-forward line, where captain Amy O’Shea, who scored a hat-trick against Laois, is joined by Valerie Mulcahy, who also bagged three goals when Cork beat Monaghan in the 2008 All-Ireland final, and Rhona Ní Bhuachalla. Four-time All-Star Juliet Murphy is one to watch at midfield, while Briege Corkery, Bríd Stack, Nollaig Cleary, Angela Walsh and Geraldine O’Flynn make up a strong backline.

Monaghan have scored an impressive 18-74 in their five championship matches, an average of more than 25 points per game, while conceding just 3-39, which is an average of 9.6 points – giving Monaghan an average winning margin of 16 points.

That stands up in comparison with Cork’s record. The Munster champions have hit 11-58 in four SFC games (just over 20 points per game) and conceded 5-30, which works out at just over 11 points per game.

Monaghan’s performances this year have shown that they have the ability to go all the way and if they can keep that going on Sunday, they can win the Brendan Martin Cup for the third time.

The senior game is preceded by the intermediate final between Cavan and Westmeath and the junior decider between Wexford and New York, who include former Monaghan and Aghabog star Catríona Brady.

Monaghan panel: Sharon Courtney (Capt.), Linda Martin, Amanda Casey, Cora Courtney, Cathriona McConnell, Eileen McElroy, Joanne Courtney, Niamh Lynch (Donaghmoyne); Therese McNally, Gráinne McNally, Úna McNally, Aoife McAnespie, Ciara McAnespie, Nicola Fahy (Emyvale); Laura McEnaney, Louise Byrne, Emma Byrne, Barbara Ward (Corduff); Caoimhe Mohan, Natasha Mohan, Margaret Treanor, Eileen McKenna (Truagh); Niamh Kindlon, Christina Reilly (Magheracloone); Ellen McCarron, Laura Boylan (Aghabog); Lavina Connolly, Shauna Coyle (Latton); Isabel Kieran (Inniskeen); Edel Corrigan (Scotstown).

Monaghan ladies championship scorers 2011: Caoimhe Mohan 9-10; Cathriona McConnell 3-13 (0-7f); Therese McNally 2-12 (0-4f); Ciara McAnespie 3-6; Niamh Kindlon 1-11 (0-6f); Ellen McCarron 0-10 (1f); Laura McEnaney 0-5; Aoife McAnespie, Natasha Mohan 0-2 each; Amanda Casey, Cora Courtney, Eileen McElroy 0-1 each.