WEEKEND PREVIEWS: 2022 currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Ladies Club Football Finalists to be decided

THE race for the 2022 currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Ladies Club Football Championship titles will be whittled down to six teams over the weekend.

There are six semi-finals down for decision – two in each of the Senior, Intermediate and Junior grades.

The action gets underway on Saturday when ten-time champions Ballymacarbry from Waterford welcome holders and Galway opponents Kilkerrin-Clonberne to Fraher Field in Dungarvan.

The other five semi-finals are down for decision on Sunday – including the second Senior semi-final between five-time winners Donaghmoyne from Monaghan, and Dublin’s Kilmacud Crokes.

The Intermediate and Junior Finalists will also be confirmed on Sunday – with all weekend games scheduled for 1.30pm starts.

All games can be viewed exclusively live on the LGFA’s live-streaming service: https://page.inplayer.com/lgfaseason2023/currentaccount.ie.html

Full fixture list: 

CurrentAccount.ie All Ireland Club Championships 2022 

All games 1.30pm  

Saturday 26th November 2022 

CurrentAccount.ie All Ireland Senior Club Championship – Semi Final 

Ballymacarbry (Waterford) v Kilkerrin-Clonberne (Galway), Fraher Field, Dungarvan

Ballymacarbry have enjoyed a superb run to the currentaccount.ie All-Ireland semi-finals but now the acid test awaits them.

Ballymac won a 41^st consecutive Waterford title before defeating Cork, Kerry and Clare opponents en route to winning a first Munster Senior A crown since 2000.

Ballymac got the better of Mourneabbey, Southern Gaels and Banner to taste provincial glory, as Kilkerrin-Clonberne landed a fifth straight Connacht title.

Kilkerrin-Clonberne are the reigning All-Ireland champions and they enjoyed a straightforward Connacht Final win over Mayo opponents Burrishoole.

With home advantage, and a team littered with Galway inter-county experience at various grades, they’ll start as favourites but Ballymac won’t fear them.

The visitors have plenty of inter-county experience themselves, with a number of current Waterford players in their ranks.

Leading the line at centre forward is the vastly-experienced former county star Michelle Ryan, while current county ace Aileen Wall has been in scintillating form of late.

Kilkerrin-Clonberne will look to the creative skills and direct running of captain Louise Ward at centre forward, while the inside line of Eva Noone, Ailish Morrissey and Chloe Miskell is capable of wreaking havoc.

Ten-time winners Ballymac are aiming for a first All-Ireland Senior Final appearance since 1998 – with the added carrot of a possible outing at Croke Park. 

Ballymacarbry (v Kilkerrin-Clonberne): L Fitzpatrick; M Wall, M McGrath (capt.), G Nugent; L Mulcahy, L Ryan, K McGrath; B McMaugh, K Hogan; A Wall, M Ryan, A Barron; S Kenrick, S Hallinan, C Walsh.

 

Kilkerrin-Clonberne (v Ballymacarbry): L Murphy, C Costello, S Gormally, C Dunleavy; K Mee, N Ward, H Noone; S Divilly, L Finnegan; O Divilly, L Ward (capt.), L Noone; E Noone, A Morrissey, C Miskell.

 

Sunday 27th November 2022 

 

CurrentAccount.ie All Ireland Senior Club Championship – Semi Final 

Donaghmoyne (Monaghan) v Kilmacud Crokes (Dublin), Donaghmoyne Fontenoys

DONAGHMOYNE are five-time All-Ireland Senior winners and 14-time Ulster champions.

And perhaps their most recent provincial success will go down as one of the most satisfying.

Reduced to 14 players early on, when Hazel Kingham was red-carded, Donaghmoyne called upon their vast reserves of experience to dig out a victory against St Ergnat’s, Moneyglass.

Now, they have home advantage for an All-Ireland semi-final against Kilmacud Crokes, as they aim for a first final appearance since 2016.

Kilmacud Crokes recently captured their very first Dublin senior title – before going on to land their a maiden Leinster senior crown.

They have former Dublin county panellist Michelle Davoren pulling the strings at full-forward, while Éabha Rutledge, thankfully recovered from long-term concussion issues, netted a hat-trick of goals in the Leinster decider.

Molly Lamb and Aoife Kane are vastly-experienced defenders who have also worn the Sky Blue with distinction and Crokes are playing with a freedom that makes them dangerous opponents.

Donaghmoyne will be another step up for Crokes and the hosts will be aiming to show that they still have what it takes to compete in the All-Ireland series.

This is a team laced with former All-Ireland club medallists and Monaghan inter-county stars, while the likes of the Garland twins, Amy and Lauren, bring that youthful experience.

Cathriona McConnell, still operating brilliantly in attack, has a weekend to remember in store. She gets married on Saturday before lining out on Sunday.

 

Donaghmoyne (v Kilmacud Crokes): L Martin, J Geoghegan, N Callan (capt.), A Callan; F Courtney, S Courtney, E Traynor; C Courtney, E McElroy; A Burns, A Garland, R Courtney; C McConnell, L Garland, S McConnell.

 

Kilmacud Crokes (v Donaghmoyne): D Gower; P Greene, E Sweeney (capt.), C Regan; L Kane, M Lamb, A Kane; G Kós, K McDaid; C Sultan, É Rutledge, M Jennings; J Buckley, M Davoren, K Murray.

 

CurrentAccount.ie All Ireland Intermediate Club Championship – Semi Finals 

Longford Slashers (Longford) v Charlestown (Mayo), Michael Fay Park, Longford

AN intriguing tie lies in store as Longford Slashers welcome Mayo opponents Charlestown to Michael Fay Park.

Slashers pulled off an incredible Leinster Final victory over Meath opponents Skryne, rallying from the concession of three early goals to claim victory.

Now they face a Mayo side with former Mayo star Deirdre Doherty pulling the strings.

Doherty collected 1-7 in the Connacht Final win over Kiltubrid and the former Republic of Ireland soccer international is still a force to be reckoned with.

Slashers will look to an impressive half-back line to provide an attacking platform, with Grace Shannon another key player at midfield.

 

Longford Slashers (v Charlestown): E Casey; L Kenny, E Reilly, G Kenny; O Nevin, E O’Brien, C Farrell; A O’Brien, A Cosgrove (capt.); L Nolan, G Shannon, K Lee; Kate Shannon, J Barry, Kara Shannon.

 

Charlestown (v Longford Slashers): J Gawalkiewicz; C Murphy, L O’Donnell, H Johnson; E Brennan, N Meehan, E O’Donnell; K Gavin, C Durkan; S Mahon, C Doherty (capt.), N McGovern; K O’Donohue, D Doherty, J O’Donnell.

 

Mullinahone (Tipperary) v Derrygonnelly Harps (Fermanagh), John Lockes, Callan, Kilkenny

 

HAVING contested an All-Ireland Junior Final earlier this year, Mullinahone’s rise continues.

Now, the Tipperary and Munster champions are just 60 minutes away from an All-Ireland Intermediate decider but they’ll get nothing easy from battle-hardened Derrygonnelly Harps.

The visitors to John Lockes in Callan, Kilkenny, have Fermanagh star Eimear Smyth in quite blistering form of late.

Smyth registered 2-9 in Derrygonnelly’s All-Ireland quarter-final win in London and while the Fermanagh outfit have other county players of high calibre, if Mullinahone can shut down Smyth, they’re in with a chance.

Mullinahone got the better of Limerick opponents Monagea to land the Munster title and progress to the latter stages of the All-Ireland series. The O’Shea sisters, Lorraine and Aoibhe, have been in excellent form for Mullinahone of late.

 

Mullinahone (v Derrygonnelly): A Browning; E Horan, G Horan, A O’Brien; E Cody, M Walsh (capt.), J Brett; N Shelly, L Dowling; L White, L O’Shea, A O’Shea; C Gunn, A Langton, K Egan.

 

Derrygonnelly (v Mullinahone): N Maguire; N Smyth, A Gordon (capt.), C Leonard; B Bannon, D Duffy, E Cassidy; E Burns, R Wallace; N Jones, S.J. Jones, A Jones; K Elliott, B Smyth, E Smyth.

 

CurrentAccount.ie All Ireland Junior Club Championship – Semi Finals 

Salthill Knocknacarra (Galway) v O’Dwyers (Dublin), The Prairie, Salthill, Galway

O’DWYERS will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of St Judes and keep the currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Junior crown in Dublin.

But they’ll get nothing easy on their visit to Galway, where Salthill-Knocknacarra lie in wait at The Prairie.

O’Dwyers enjoyed a 13-point victory over Kilkenny’s Muckalee in the Leinster Final, with Shannon Richardson bagging a brace of goals.

In their Connacht Final victory over Drumcliffe Rosses point, Lauren O’Donnell and Laura Kelly combined for 1-12 and they are two players who will take close watching.

This could be one of the games of the weekend, with the winners going through to a Final on December 11.

 

Salthill-Knocknacarra (v O’Dwyers): L Carroll; K Connaughton, E Madden, O de Bairead; S Donnellan, S Divilly, R Reddington; Z Rather, A Finnerty (capt.); A Kelly, L O’Donnell, D O’Connell; A Nash, A Manley, L Kelly.

 

O’Dwyers (v Salthill-Knocknacarra): N Kirby; A Kelly, L Marry, H O’Rourke; E Kearney, A Curran (capt.), J Kehoe; E Byrne, K McCabe; I McLean, C Johnston, A Gibbons; A Breathnach, S Richardson, C Munson.

 

Naomh Abán (Cork) v Castleblayney Faughs (Monaghan), Páirc Íosagáin, (New Pitch)

 

IN a low-scoring Munster Final, Cork side Naomh Abán did enough against Limerick opponents Oola to secure the silverware.

Defensively strong, Naomh Abán mined seven points at the other end of the pitch to land a two-point victory.

All-Ireland Intermediate winners in 2003, Naomh Abán now have their sights set on another national final.

Their opponents, Castleblayney Faughs, are fresh and firing, however, following an impressive victory against Belgium on their travels to Maastricht.

Monaghan senior ace Jodie McQuillan bagged nine points in that fixture, with Hazel Hughes collecting 1-3.

 

Naomh Abán v Castleblayney Faughs: L Hughes; U Twohig (capt.), M Dineen, E Creedon; E Kelly, R Corkery, M.E. Kelliher; A McDonagh, G Lucey; A Hoare, E Murphy, C Phelan; A Maher, L McDonagh, G Murphy.

 

Castleblayney Faughs (v Naomh Abán): R Treanor; M Carr, N Cavanagh, A Leonard (capt.); H Hughes, E Heavin, S McKenna; E Ruddin, O Maguire; G Hanratty, A McCooey, S Moloney; A Connolly, J McQuillan, C Farrell.