All-Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship Previews
By Daire Walsh
Friday October 30
Group 4 Round 1
Armagh v Tyrone – Kingspan Breffni, 7.30pm – LIVE on TG4
Getting us underway in the 2020 All-Ireland senior ladies football championship is the all-Ulster clash of Armagh and Tyrone in Cavan town on Friday night.
Having secured a national intermediate title two years ago, Tyrone not only retained their senior status in 2019 but reached the All-Ireland quarter-final. Though it ended in a heavy defeat to Cork, it is important for the Red Hand to remain in the top-tier and continue to test themselves against the very best players in the country.
After producing a devastating goal blitz in a shock group stage win over Cork, Armagh also advanced to the final-eight of last year’s competition where they suffered a narrow exit to Mayo.
Already familiar foes, this will be the third meeting between these sides in 2020. Back in Division Two of the National League on February 2 at Silverbridge, Tyrone edged out the Orchard county with two points to spare (1-14 to 1-12).
This contest was so long ago, it is difficult to use it as a barometer for what may unfold at Breffni Park. However, their Ulster semi-final meeting at Crossmaglen Rangers on October 17 gives a firmer indication of where both teams are at heading in the All-Ireland championship.
Gaining revenge for that league reversal, Armagh recorded a convincing 4-14 to 1-10 triumph to book their place in a provincial decider for a third year in succession. Whilst this doesn’t have any bearing on their forthcoming clash, it was nonetheless a useful exercise for all concerned.
Following a 15 month injury-enforced absence, the outstanding Aimee Mackin marked her return to the inter-county scene with a goal and a plethora of points. Her sister Blaithin also made a strong contribution and Caroline O’Hanlon – who is also a renowned netball international with Northern Ireland – was another to shine over the course of the contest.
Armagh had developed a 4-11 to 1-3 lead at the break but with Niamh O’Neill leading the way, Tyrone did at least produce a much brighter showing in the second period. They will be aiming to build on the positive aspects of their display and hope the influence of a much-vaunted Orchard attack can be curtailed to a much greater extent.
With the challenge of Mayo awaiting them in Carrick-on-Shannon tomorrow week (November 7), they can illl-afford a shaky start to their campaign.
Saturday October 31
Group 2 Round 1
Tipperary v Galway – LIT Gaelic Grounds, 3pm – LIVE on TG4
Before the National Football League was brought to a halt, Galway were on course to reach their third national final in succession.
Having lost out to Waterford in the opening game, the westerners registered four wins on the bounce to find themselves at the summit of the table with five games played – just above Cork on score difference.
The Tribes were – by some distance – the top-scoring team in the division during the spring. A haul of 14-56 was an astonishing return and signalled a major change in approach from Tim Rabbitt’s charges in 2020.
Whereas a lot of focus was placed on the defence side of their game last year, there is now a much greater attacking emphasis as Galway aim to build on a very encouraging 2019. After losing out to Cork by two points in a National Football League final at Parnell Park in May, Galway subsequently reached their first All-Ireland showpiece since 2005.
While Dublin held onto the Brendan Martin Cup following a low-scoring affair played amidst torrential rain in Croke Park, there was enough in their performance to suggest they would be a force to reckon with going forward. Rabbitt used the league campaign as an opportunity to give substantial game time to some of his fringe players, such as Lynsey Noone, Andrea Trill and Chloe Crowe.
Additionally, in the absence of some high-profile figures, the Leonard cousins – Tracey and Roisin – continued to shine. Roisin bagged a superb hat-trick in a comfortable league victory over Westmeath, before Tracey matched her efforts in the next round against Donegal.
They return with 16 of the 20 players who featured in last year’s All-Ireland final, including Louise and Nicola Ward – the All-Star winning twin siblings from Kilkerrin/Clonberne.
Galway’s last competitive outing was a 1-12 to 0-4 victory over Tipperary in March, but they are expecting a much different test from the Premier county in Limerick on Saturday.
Shane Ronayne’s side are back in the senior championship as a result of their unbeaten march to the All-Ireland intermediate title in 2019. They have a couple of years of Division One football under their belts and are more than capable of mixing it with the very best on their day.
In Aishling Moloney, Tipperary possess one of the most lethal forwards in ladies football. Having operated in the half-forward line for their All-Ireland intermediate triumphs of 2017 and 2019, the Cahir ace (who recently made her senior inter-county camogie debut) has been primarily deployed on the edge of the square thus far this year.
Wherever she is selected, the former DCU student will ask significant questions of the Galway rearguard. Aisling McCarthy is another star performer in this Tipperary team and recently made history by becoming the first Irishwoman to transfer clubs in the Women’s Australian Football League.
Having started out initially with the Western Bulldogs, she is now contracted to the West Coast Eagles. Before resuming her burgeoning career Down Under, McCarthy will be aiming to be a guiding force from midfield for Tipperary in what should prove to be an intriguing tactical battle.
Group 3 Round 1
Dublin v Donegal – Kingspan Breffni, 5pm – LIVE on TG4
More than a year after completing a three-in-row of All-Ireland senior titles, the Dublin ladies footballers will begin their latest defence of the Brendan Martin Cup at Kingspan Breffni on Saturday evening.
Behind closed doors – but in front of a live television audience on TG4 – Mick Bohan’s all-conquering outfit kick-start their Group Three campaign with an opening round encounter against Donegal.
Due to the absence of a Leinster championship – no other county in the eastern province competes at the senior grade – Dublin would have welcomed the extra games that the original format provided for as they look to fend off the main challengers to their crown. The Jackies enter Saturday’s game on the back of a very mixed Division One league campaign – which was halted with two rounds of fixtures still to play.
While Mayo and Waterford were accounted for on the road, Dublin failed to register a single home win in three attempts. After sharing the spoils with Tipperary in the opening round at Ballyboden St Enda’s, the Metropolitans lost out to Cork and Galway at Croke Park and the DCU Sportsgrounds respectively.
Although 11 of the team that defeated the Tribeswomen in last year’s All-Ireland saw action in the spring, Sinéad Goldrick, Niamh McEvoy and 2019 Player of the Year Siobhán McGrath are all set for their first inter-county appearances in over 12 months.
Additionally, Olwen Carey has stepped away from the panel this year and captain Sinéad Aherne only enjoyed a brief cameo in their league game against Waterford in March. Still, with this year’s county championship proving to be highly competitive, they will expected to hit the ground running and are certainly favourites to prevail.
Goldrick and McEvoy are soon to be joined by Lauren Magee in the Women’s Australian Football League and all three will have pivotal roles to play.
Despite defending their Ulster title in 2019, Donegal failed to make it out the All-Ireland championship group stages and were only spared of a relegation play-off by virtue of their provincial success.
Yet in their last competitive meeting against Dublin – the opening round of last year’s National Football League at Croke Park – Maxi Curran’s charges came out on top. Karen Guthrie, Geraldine McLaughlin and Yvonne Bonner are a potentially devastating attacking triumvirate and a formidable Dublin defence will need to be on their toes.
Sunday November 1
Group 1 Round 1
Cavan v Kerry – St Brendan’s Park, Birr, 1pm
Rounding off the opening weekend of the senior football championship will be the meeting of Cavan and Kerry in Birr on Sunday.
As things stand, the latter are the only team in this competition who are unbeaten in 2020. Thanks to five straight wins, the Kingdom were practically assured of a spot in the Division Two final before the competition was ultimately declared null and void.
Operating in the same tier of the National Football League, Cavan were in the reckoning for a showpiece spot after find themselves a single point adrift of second place Meath with five games played.
The Breffni women faced Kerry in the opening round of Division Two at Denn on January 26. If that contest is anything to go by, a classic encounter could be in store at the Offaly venue.
At the end of a pulsating 60 plus minutes of action, Cavan were squeezed out by their Munster counterparts on the slenderest of margins (4-8 to 3-10). A goals apiece from Aisling Maguire, Aisling Gilsenan and Sinead Greene aided the cause of the hosts, who have successfully come through relegation play-offs in the past two senior championships.
This the aforementioned trio’s scoring process wasn’t enough on the day, however, as Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh (2-2) and Hannah O’Donoghue (2-1) dovetailed superbly to get Kerry over the line.
Joint-top of the All-Ireland senior roll of honour with 11 titles – alongside provincial rivals Cork – Kerry are regarded as something of a sleeping giant in LGFA circles. It is all of 27 years since they got their hands on the Brendan Martin Cup and in spite of the odd triumph over them in the Munster championship, they have largely played second fiddle to the Leesiders in recent seasons.
Whilst their 2019 journey ended in a heavy quarter-final reversal to eventual All-Ireland champions Dublin, there was signs that a Kerry revival could be on the cards in the not-too-distant future.
With 20 minutes gone in their group stage showdown with Galway at O’Moore Park, Portlaoise, the Kingdom led 1-8 to 0-1. Although they were subsequently pegged back and ultimately fell to a four-point defeat (1-14 to 1-10), not many team enjoy a purple patch of that magnitude against the Connacht side.
This Cavan squad have displayed remarkable resilience to keep themselves in the senior championship and will rightly fancy their chances of producing another big result.
Trailing by nine points at an advanced stage of their crunch relegation showdown with Tipperary in 2018, they dug deep to record a 2-14 to 1-14 win. Just under 12 months later, there was an even more astonishing comeback victory against Armagh.
11 points behind in the second half of the contest, James Daly’s Cavan turned matters around in their favour and dramatically claimed a 3-18 to 6-8 success.
Based on these two performances alone, Kerry will know they are in for a serious battle on their return to competitive action and will have to be on their game until the bitter end.