THE final pairings of the top tiers in the Limerick Ladies football championship will be confirmed this weekend.
A repeat of last year’s final will be played in the senior championship semi-finals with a new face in the other last four tie. Both semi-finals will be played on Sunday afternoon with the final set to be played on Sunday November 21.
St Ailbes v Monagea
Sunday November 7 in Clarina at 2pm
In the standout tie of the weekend, St Ailbes take on Monagea in a repeat of the last two senior finals. St Ailbes have won both games at Monagea’s expense as they continue a quest for a three in a row. However, if those final contests were anything to go by, it promises to be a close encounter with Ailbes winning both by a solitary point.
In the 2019 decider, a free from Eimear Ryan in the 10th minute of injury time salvaged a 3-8 to 3-7 victory in the decider while they were on the right side of a 0-9 to 1-4 scoreline in last year’s final. indeed Monagea were the previous side to be crowned champions as they dethroned Ballylanders in 2018, twelve months after losing the final to the south outfit. As such, Monagea will be seeking a fifth successive final berth.
And the ladies from the West have been one of the standout teams in the division, winning both of their group games with relative ease, progressing straight to the semi-finals. In their opener, they overcame Feohanagh Castlemahon 3-16 to 0-7. They followed this up with a 3-10 to 0-4 win over St Brigids to move into the last four.
St Ailbes meanwhile stuttered through the group stages, drawing both of their encounters with Ballylanders and Old Mill, this weekend’s other semi-finalists. In the quarter-final, their ability to find the net proved crucial as they beat St Brigids by 5-9 to 0-11.
Monagea will have a number of players who are already assured of a final berth with the Newcastle West side in next weekend’s camogie final. But for now, attention will be firmly focused on Clarina this Sunday as two of Limerick’s heavyweights battle it out for a final spot.
Old Mill v Ballylanders
Sunday November 7 in Croom at 2pm
In the other semi-final, Old Mill and Ballylanders meet for the second time this campaign with a place in the final up for grabs. Interestingly, three of the semi-finalists came from group two with St Ailbes paired with Old Mill and Ballylanders.
In their previous encounter, Ballylanders were comfortable in picking up a 6-8 to 0-8 win to ensure their place atop group two and book their place in the last four after their draw with the defending champions in the opening round.
On the other hand, the Old Mill had a more scenic route to the semi-finals. They drew their opening game with St Aibes, playing out a 2-6 to 1-9 stalemate before the reversal against Ballylanders. They were then paired with West rivals Feohanagh Castlemahon where they emerged victorious two point, 2-7 to 1-8 win.
Like Monagea, Old Mill have a number of players that will be featuring in the camogie decider next weekend. They will be seeking to make it to the final for the third time in three years, this time the senior decider. In 2018 they overcame Fr Caseys in the Junior A Final before they beat Mungret St Pauls in the Intermediate final in 2019 in Mick Neville Park.
Ballylanders on the other hand are looking to get back to the final after a two year absence, competing in four successive finals from 2015-2018, winning three titles in that time.
And while the other semi-final will grab the headlines, this one promises to be a much closer matchup than their group stage meeting.
Elsewhere, the Intermediate Football semi-finals are also down for decision on Sunday. In Martinstown, last year’s champions Drom Broadford face Murroe Boher at 11am. Drom have won both their games thus far, beating Oola and Knockainey en route to the semi-finals. Murroe Boher lost their opener to Mungret but have bounced back with successive wins, first defeating Fr Caseys before overcoming Knockainey in the quarter-finals.
In the other semi-final, Mungret St Pauls will be looking for a third successive final berth as they take on Oola in Cappamore at the same time. Mungret St Pauls beat both Fr Caseys and Murroe Boher to qualify directly for the semi-finals while Oola opened their campaign with a win over Knockainey before falling to Drom. They did bounce back with a comprehensive 4-14 to 1-5 win over Fr Caseys to seal their place in the last four.
The final round of games in the Junior A Championship also take place. Adare and Galtee Gaels are assured of their place in the last four while Ahane need a win to have any chance of making the semi-finals. If Ahane don’t win, then Groody Gaels and Athea will make up the final four.
In the Junior B Championship, there is only one game to be played. Croom and Monagea are already through to the semi-finals in group one, while Drom are guaranteed to top group two. St Ailbes face Fr Caseys with the winners to progress to the knockout stages.
Check out all the fixtures below.
Limerick Ladies Football Fixtures Sunday November 7
Senior
Old Mill v Ballylanders in Croom at 2pm
Monagea v St Ailbes in Clarina at 2pm
Intermediate
Mungret St Pauls v Oola in Cappamore ay 11am
Murroe Boher v Dromcollogher Broadford in Martinstown at 11am
Junior A
Ahane vs Athea in Ahane at 11am
Groody Gaels vs Adare in UL at 12:45pm
Junior B
St Ailbes v Fr Caseys in Ballybricken at 1oam
The post PREVIEW | A repeat of last year’s final as the Senior and Intermediate Limerick Ladies Football Championship Semi-Finals take place Sunday appeared first on Sporting Limerick.
