All-Ireland Ladies Club Senior Football Championship Final

Donaghmoyne v Carnacon, Sunday, 1.30, Ballinamore

Donaghmoyne’s ladies will attempt to win their third All-Ireland Club SFC when they take on old rivals Carnacon in Ballinamore, Co Leitrim on Sunday.

Donaghmoyne saw off Emyvale to continue their dominance of the Monaghan championship this year and after cruising past Lisnaskea and Clann Éireann they added their seventh Ulster title when coming from behind to get the better of Termon from Donegal in the final. They then proved far too strong for Shelmaliers of Wexford to seal a return to the national decider. It has been a remarkable year for Francie Coleman’s Donaghmoyne, with their junior team also taking county and provincial titles, although their JFC campaign ended at the semi-final stage.

Donaghmoyne have a vastly experienced team, full of county players. The Fontenoys are captained by current All-Star Cathriona McConnell, who has been in prolific form in front of the posts for both club and county throughout 2012. County captain Sharon Courtney, who is joined by sisters Joanne, Cora and Fiona on the team, is another leader for Donaghmoyne, as is influential midfielder Amanda Casey, while Eileen McElroy, Niamh Lynch and Majella Woods will also have big parts to play.

Reigning champions Carnacon are also familiar fixture at this time of year. They won their fourth All-Ireland last year and are going all-out to defend their title. Carnacon will be relying on Cora Staunton, one of the icons of ladies football, to account for the bulk of their scores, but they will also be looking for big performances from Claire Egan, Martha Carter, Fiona McHale, Sharon and Caroline McGing and Aoife Brennan.

This is the fourth meeting between these teams in the latter stages of the All-Ireland. Donaghmoyne won the first of those in the final of six years ago, but Carnacon got their own back two years later, before pipping the south-Monaghan team in the semi-finals last year. Having previously won All-Irelands in 2006 and 2009, the omens are good for Donaghmoyne to end another three-year gap and with the memory of last year’s defeat still fresh, they can take the Dolores Tyrrell Memorial Cup back to Monaghan.