21 April 2004 Captains prepare for Suzuki Ladies League Final showdown in Galway Share this Article 0 0 0 Shares! 0 Shares! Press Release Tuesday, April 20th, 2004 Captains prepare for Suzuki Ladies National Football League Final showdown in Galway The captains from Mayo and Cork came face to face in Dublin ahead of Sunday’s eagerly anticipated clash between the respective counties in the Suzuki Ladies National League Final. The final on Sunday is expected to be a real clash of cultures with reigning champions Mayo taking on the best up and coming team in the land – Cork. The final takes place as part of an attractive triple-header this Sunday at 5pm in Pearse Stadium, Galway and will be screened live on TG4. Although Mayo are the All-Ireland champions who have dominated Ladies football for the last five seasons, captain Nuala O’Shea is taking nothing for granted against Cork. “This has been the most competitive league I have played in to date, with most teams capable of beating each other. The emerging teams like Cork and Galway will be a real threat this year to ourselves and the more established sides in the country. It would be brilliant to win the league and to do so would set us up for the remainder of the year”, she said. Mayo last won the league back in 2000 but lost the decider in 2002. Geraldine Giles and Declan McGuire, Suzuki with the captains For Cork skipper Juliette Murphy, Senior All-Ireland Finals are a whole new experience. Speaking in Dublin at the Suzuki Captains Day, Murphy claimed that: “This is new territory for our team, but we have been improving all the time and if we are to be recognised as one of the best teams in Ireland we should be playing in games like these. We respect Mayo as All-Ireland champions but we believe if we play well enough we can beat them.” Cork have never won the National League, but are recognised by most keen observers of the Ladies game as the team on the rise. Victory in Galway on Sunday would constitute a significant breakthrough to the rebels and would be a major boost to Ladies Football in the county. Mr Declan Maguire, Marketing Services Manager of Suzuki Ireland was present at the Captains Day today. Mr Maguire remarked that, “Suzuki Ireland is pleased to have an ongoing relationship with The Ladies Gaelic Football Association through our sponsorship of the Suzuki Ladies National Football League which we feel is to our mutual benefit. We are looking forward to an excellent game on Sunday next and wish both Cork and Mayo every success.” Declan McGuire, Suzuki with the captains and Suzuki Cup Ms Geraldine Giles, President of Cumann Peil Gael na mBan is also looking forward to this weekends final. “This is the first ever meeting of Cork and Mayo in the Final stage of any of our National Senior finals and should prove a pulsating affair. Mayo will be aiming to put a League title on the back of their All-Ireland win of last September. However, Cork have been the dominant force in underage football in recent years, and having swept the board with the club titles in 2003, should prove a formidable force on the day”, she said. For Further Information: Mick O’Keeffe, Bill O’Herlihy Communications – (01) 660 2744 Fr Liam Kelleher – 087 851 6984 Helen O’Rourke, Cumann Peil Gael na mBan – (01) 836 3156 Jim Goss, Goss Public Relations – (01) 458 8659 Share this Article 0 0