16 August 2006 Clare .v. Fermanagh All Ireland Junior Championship Quarter Final Share this Article 0 0 0 Shares! 0 Shares! Clare .v. Fermanagh All Ireland Junior Championship Quarter Final Venue: Páirc Chiaráin, Athlone Date: Sunday 20th @ 2.00pm The All Ireland Junior Championship has now begun in earnest for the Clare ladies team as they face into a quarter final meeting with Fermanagh on Sunday next. Gone is the safety net of a backdoor for losing teams from here on in and from now until October 1st it’s winner takes all so Clare minds must be focused on Sunday. Clare come into this game off a very successful Munster Junior Championship and manager Deirdre Murphy will be hoping that the recent good form of the team will be maintained. Deirdre is conscious however that the team have had a very long and hard season to date and she hopes that tiredness won’t be a factor against a very fit and especially fast Fermanagh team. Clare’s long season, which saw them crowned Suzuki Division 3 National League champions back in May, started with a first game loss to Leitrim back in February and since that opening game it has been all go since with little or no breaks in competitive action. Deirdre’s worries have also been compounded with the recent commencement of the Clare county senior championship and already injury worries are mounting ahead of Sunday’s fixture. Both Tammy Hehir (ankle ligaments) and Grace Lynch (knee ligaments) are extremely doubtful for the Fermanagh match while there are also serious fitness concerns regarding team captain Majella Griffin (hamstring), Sonia Maher (groin) and Monica Lillis. Clare ladies will be anxious to go one better that their county male counterparts when it comes to playing Fermanagh in the championship knockout stages. The Banner team and management will be well aware however that this will be a vastly improved Fermanagh team than the one Clare overcame in the league earlier in the season. Even in the league contest one could see that Fermanagh were teambuilding for championship action and have a great mixture of youth and experience in their panel. Fremanagh play a fast slick running game and their forwards are especially quick so the Clare rearguard will have to be on their toes on Sunday. Clare Captain Majella Griffin Crucial to the overall outcome of this quarter-final will be the performances in and around the midfield area. Louise Henchy, Grace Lynch and Eithne Morrissey have been outstanding for Clare in this department all season (hence the huge loss to Clare if Grace Lynch is unavailable on Sunday) and if this trio can win quality ball for their forwards then Clare should have the scoring power up front to see off the northern team. However if Fermanagh get a good supply of ball to their forwards they too have some clinical finishers. Wing forward Caroline Little scored seven points in their recent Ulster final against Cavan and Little will have to be watched closely on Sunday. Aisling Moane and Donna Maguire are other Fermanagh forwards that Clare will have to pay special attention to. Clare were very sound defensively against Limerick in their Munster final appearance so hopefully the likes of Sinéad Eustace, Lorraine Kelly and Sinéad Kelly will be well up to the job of protecting Emma O’Driscoll’s goal. Our defensive lynchpin will again be the outstanding Eithne Morrissey who as usual will be expected combine her commanding central defensive role with that of a third midfielder. Eithne has been brilliant for Clare all year and hopefully there is another big game in her on Sunday. Up front Clare will look to captain Majella Griffin to lead the way and big performances will also be looked for from the likes of Niamh Keane and Myra Daly. If Myra Daly can repeat her two goal Munster final performance then all will be happy in the Clare camp. Dashing corner forward and Suzuki league final player of the match winner Áine Kelly could have a big influence on Sunday’s match if she gets quality quick ball. The outstanding Lissycasey lassie is a tremendous footballer and can cause headaches for any defence when on song. So it’s all to play for on in this TG4 All Ireland quarter final Sunday. A one hundred percent effort is what’s required and nothing less will be acceptable to Deirdre Murphy and her backroom team. The players themselves know this and with the ultimate prize of an eventual All Ireland place in Croke Park on the first Sunday of October now at stake I cannot see Clare slipping up in this match. As they have done with so many teams all season Clare must exert their dominance from the word go and not allow Fermanagh to settle into any sort of rhythm. Clare support play will also be of critical importance and all girls must be fully conscious of their team obligations even when not in possession of the football. Now that the lady footballers are the only Clare county team still in the running for national championship honours this year it would be great if a large number of supporters turned up in Athlone on Sunday to encourage and support the team. I predict a Banner win on the day but it will be no pushover. Clare Junior Ladies Panel 2006 Share this Article 0 0