Senior ladies seek league final triumph on Sunday

Ladies football

Kevin Óg Carney

The countdown has well and truly kicked in. Over the course of the next few days, Emmet Daly and his think-tank will dedicate themselves more to matters cerebral than physical in the preparation of their charges.

This Sunday (2pm) at the O Raghallaighs GAA headquarters (Integral Park) in Drogheda, Cavan’s senior football ladies will seek to claim the Lidl National Football League Division 3 title at the expense of a Wexford squad that trumped the blues when they clashed in the division last February.

As summer speeds forward, Daly and Co can reasonably expect the elements to have little or no influence on the teams’ latest meeting - unlike when their round four clash took place.

“We travelled to Bunclody under an orange weather warning,” Daly recalls. “There was no electricity in the houses back home when we went down the road and the conditions in Bunclody made the game a lottery, really, for both teams.

“The storm (Eowyn) made things very, very hard for both teams and, to be honest, that was reflected in the final scoreline (0-9 to 2-5).

“There was an extremely strong wind on the day which badly effected the overall quality of the game but, fingers crossed, everyone will be happy with the conditions in Drogheda and hopefully all the players will be able to show just how good they really are because I know we didn’t do ourselves justice in Bunclody.”

Of course, favouritism is not a guarantee of anjything but Wexford go into this weekend’s national decider as favourites to land the silverware. However, all with a blue hue will be hoping that the turf accountants will have egg on their chin once again when the dust has settled this Sunday afternoon.

Cavan’s aforementioned defeat to Wexford marked the only occasion Daly’s dynamos dropped points this season in the NFL.

However, after the conclusion of the seven-round campaign, the Model County finished in runners-up spot in the table to Cavan having lost (0-6 to 1-6) to Louth (in Drogheda) and drawn with Down.

Interestingly, while the Wee County overcame Wexford, the Breffni Blues dished out a 2-10 to 2-8 defeat to Louth in Drogheda.

“We’ve a 100% record in O Raghallaigh Park, so why would we mind going to Drogheda for the game,” team-manager Daly quips when quizzed about whether he minded the fact that the game had originally been fixed for Parnell Park in Dublin before being switched to Louth’s HQ.

Wexford have arguably the better form of recent times. They won through to last year’s All-Ireland IFC semi-final but lost out by a single point to eventual winners Leitrim. For their part, Cavan were defeated (0-6 to 2-10) in their Ulster IFC quarter-final to Down.

Cavan suffered major disappointment last year in being relegated from Division Two. Wexford’s league season last year saw them finish comfortably in mid-table with three victories from their seven outings.

In their last outings, Cavan overcame Limerick by 0-10 to 0-9 in Kilnaleck while Wexford easily beat (3-9 to 0-10) Laois.

This Sunday’s finalists have proven to be the outstanding two teams in division three and some of their victories have been handsome in the extreme with Cavan’s thumping (3-12 to 0-4) of Offaly in round five in Bailieboro and their thrashing (6-17 to 1-4) of Carlow cases in point.

For their part, Wexford have shown their mettle in equally luminous fashion at times with their blitzing (3-14 to 1-4) of Offaly in round one arguably their stand-out performance of the season to date.

“We’re coming up against a very good team, we know that,” long time Lurgan ladies football mentor Daly declares.

“They’re very strong physically as well as being a good football team and they know from what happened in Bunclody that they have the beating of us and that’s why they would be most neutrals’ favourites to win the final.

“They’ve been playing at a higher level than us but our girls aren’t afraid of them or in awe of them. They have every faith in their ability to come out on top and so have we as a management team.”

Supported by a backroom team consisting of Donal Farrelly (head coach); selectors Bronagh Sheridan (of Drumlane and Cavan fame), Matty Cahill (Lurgan) and Killian Treacy (Lacken Celtic) plus Corey Smith (goalkeeping coach), Gavin Tobin (Strength and Conditioning) and Brendan Cumiskey (Statistics), the Cavan team-manager waxes lyrical about the talent he has at his disposal either side of the whitewash.

Meanwhile Daly says opponents Wexford are renowned as a crew focussed on keeping things tight at the back and he concedes they can be very difficult to break down.

“Hopefully we can turn the tables on them in the final,” says 39 year old Daly who is in his first year as Cavan senior manager and who finalised his panel last December after putting 60 players through their paces earlier at various trials.

“I think we have learned a lot more in losing to them than we could have learned if we had won that day in Bunclody. We played into their hands to a large extent in that game but we’re in a better place overall now, wiser and a more composed and more confident squad now.”

So Cavan will bring exactly what to the table this Sunday?

“I know we have the talent to do the business but we’ll be looking to get the girls to produce the kind of workrate that will get us over the line.

“Our composure on the ball is something that has stood to us and we’re very fit and fast and with the right workrate, we’ll be very hard to beat.

“Like every finalist, we’ll be looking to make a good start and get a good level of momentum going and keep focused right throughout the game.

“We played very well in patches against Louth and everyone played well against Carlow with the forwards clicking well especially. A combination of those two performances would be great in the final if we could pull it off.”

Manager Daly confirms that aside from missing Sarah Clarke (Cavan Gaels), because of a hamstring injury, Cavan will travel to Integral Park with a fully-fit squad.

Everyone on the Cavan team bus can expect it to be hot and heavy in Drogheda. Elsewhere this Sunday, things will be no less pressurised in Omagh with the meeting of Cavan and Tyrone in the Ulster SFC with the likes of the McVeety clan in Crosserlough (Dara with the men and Lauren the ladies) sadly destined to be among those wishing but unable to be present at both venues.

“The clash is unfortunate,” a philosophical Daly avers. “Two different organisations went about their own business in terms of setting the dates and it’s not something we’re going to whinge about. It has made things difficult for families but it is what it is.

“We’ve already achieved our goal of winning promotion and, as I said, Drogheda is a happy hunting ground for us, so let’s see if we can go back there and lift the cup.”