Clare v Leitrim Division 3 Final preview

Clare v Leitrim National Suzuki League Division
3 Final Preview.

Clare Ladies Board Press Release. 02/05/2006 

Clare will face Leitrim in Sunday’s eagerly awaited Suzuki National
League Division 111 Final which takes place in Páirc Chiaráin
in Athlone with a 3.30pm throw in.

Deirdre Murphy and her backroom team will again be hoping for
a big performance from the team and hopes the achievement of reaching
a national final will bring out the best in her squad. Indeed
Deirdre and her backroom team will know full well that only a
100% performance will do on Sunday if Clare are to aspire to having
a realistic chance of victory over a long established and settled
Leitrim side.

Leitrim are undefeated in this years Suzuki league and amongst
their scalps is a fairly comprehensive victory over the Clare
ladies back in February. In a game played at Tuam Stadium Leitrim
handed the Banner outfit a 3 – 11 to 0 – 10 defeat and really
won pulling up at the end. However Clare have improved steadily
since this game and are themselves undefeated since the Leitrim
match. Has the gap in class between the teams, so evident in the
Tuam game, been closed in the intervening period? This is the
question being asked of the Clare ladies on Sunday.

 

Clare team 5 – 14 to 1 – 4 victors over Wicklow in the Suzuki League
semi-final

Eimear Kane, Saval

Certainly the addition of the likes of Eithne Morrissey,
Tammy Hehir and others to the squad since that opening round defeat
and the improved performances of the likes of Louise Henchy, Majella
Griffin, the Kelly & Considine sisters and Coolmeen’s Grace Lynch
have combined to make Clare a much stronger, cohesive and formidable
outfit. While there is no doubting their improvement one must have
concern for Clare’s relative lack of experience playing as a squad.
Securing a walkover from Carlow in the third round of the league was
a major blow to the Banner outfit as it deprived them of vital match
experience and this could be crucial on Sunday.

 

Leitrim have a more settled look about them and have a good mix
of youth and experience in their team. They certainly will not capitulate
under Clare’s challenge as opponents in Clare’s recent wins over
Wicklow and Westmeath did and our ladies will have to be very sharp
and alert right from the throw in to prevent Leitrim setting an
early pace and dictating the match. Clare will know that Leitrim
are a big physical team and they will not be asking or giving any
favours on Sunday. The Banner outfit have however and amount of
work done over the past two months so they should be well able for
the physical challenge. Irrespective of Sunday’s result (and I for
one am confident that Clare will do it) it is great for ladies football
within the county that we are competing in a national final. True
it’s only the league and a division 111 but there is a certain momentum
building behind Clare ladies football at present and hopefully this
will be carried forward to the Munster Junior Championship and the
All Ireland series come the summer.

Good luck to Deirdre and the girls on Sunday and hopefully the
bonfires will be burning in West Clare come Sunday evening.

Sign up to our email newsletter

sponsors

Partners & Supporters

PROVINCES

Counties

BRITAIN

INTERNATIONAL

See all LGFAClubs