TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Junior Football Championship final: Antrim v Fermanagh (Sunday, 11.45am, Croke Park, live on TG4)
The fourth time in 2022, the Ladies footballers of Antrim and Fermanagh go head-to-head - only this time there’s an All-Ireland title at stake.
The Saffrons were defeated in the Junior decider by Wicklow last season, but they’ve already beaten the Erne County twice in the Championship this year while Fermanagh won the League meeting between the teams.
The most recent clash was the Ulster JFC final, which Antrim edged 2-13 to 1-15.
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According to Fermanagh boss James Daly, their Championship defeats to Antrim, coupled with the fact the Saffrons were in the All-Ireland final last season, makes his side the underdogs for the all-Ulster clash.
“Apart from the (Ulster semi-final) game in Silverbridge, which was very one-sided, the other two games were very close,” said Daly.
“We’ve probably played each other too often if you ask me - it is a fault of the current system.
“They are two fairly well matched teams. We are looking forward to the game and looking forward to the challenge.
“Antrim, having been in the final last year, would be the favourites and they’ll be wanting to put that right.
“Hopefully, we can get our match-ups right. . . Croke Park is a big pitch so it should be a good game.”
Antrim are indeed marginal favourites for Sunday’s contest, but the most prolific forward on either team is Fermanagh’s Eimear Smyth.
The Derrygonnelly ace hit 3-7 in the 7-9 to 3-12 semi-final victory over Limerick earlier this month, but Daly insists other players are more than capable of sharing the scoring burden on Sunday.
“Eimear (Smyth) is a serious player, but for her to score 3-7, there’s a lot of work that goes on elsewhere,” added the Armagh native.
“We’ve Bláithín Bogue, Laura Grew, Elaine Maguire who are all capable of taking scores.
“A lot of people felt that was an upset, but for me it wasn’t. We’d Limerick dead and buried in the League semi-final. We were five up with 10 minutes to go and lost by four.
“We are a very young team and maybe seven or eight of our starting team are under 20, so they are still learning.
“If you are still playing football in the last game of the season, you are doing something right. They’ve worked hard all year and, hopefully, they can get their reward on Sunday.”
Daly added that he expects to have a clean bill of health for Sunday's final and his Antrim counterpart Emma Kelly also reports no fresh injury concerns for her side.
Michelle Magee is the only player currently unavailable as she is currently on duty with the NI netball team at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
“We’ve a clean bill of health. There’s no point in putting the girls in bubble wrap – they could hurt themselves walking down the street,” said Kelly.
“You never know with our girls, if there is a pothole to find, they’ll find it!
“Everything has been a wee bit calmer this year. We’ve everything done at this stage and it is just about getting the players to focus on the game. We are just trying to keep their feet on the ground.
“Prior to last year, we hadn’t played in an All-Ireland final since 2016 so it was a big shock. . . the occasion probably got to a lot of people.
“The gutting feeling of not winning was hard to take. There’s no point in going to an All-Ireland final in Croke Park if you aren’t taking the trophy home.
“We are preparing for a battle and we know that Fermanagh are going to give us one hell of a battle on Sunday. Hopefully, we can get over the line this time.
“There’s a bit more calmness and maturity about the girls this year so hopefully that will stand to them.”
One player who is especially keen to feature in Sunday’s final is Antrim’s Saoirse Tennyson. The St Paul’s defender played in the 2016 final loss to Longford, but missed two All-Ireland deciders in recent seasons with club and county.
A cruciate knee injury meant she was sidelined as the Shaws Road side lost out to St Ciaran’s of Offaly in the 2019 All-Ireland Club Intermediate final in Breffni Park.
A recurring hamstring problem ruled her out of action as Wicklow defeated Antrim in last season’s All-Ireland Ladies JFC final in Croke Park and Tennyson is determined to make up for lost time.
“It has been an absolute nightmare with injuries,” said Tennyson.
“Earlier this year, I’d a broken cheekbone which kept me out for six weeks as well.
“This past while I’ve been really trying to take care of myself. I’m doing the gym sessions and recovery sessions to try and keep going.
“It was heartbreaking not being part of those All-Ireland finals. I love this sport and I enjoy playing. During the rehab, that’s what keeps you going.
“It has just been one injury after the other. Thankfully, we are back in an All-Ireland final and I’m ready to play.”
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