03 May 2006 Clare v Leitrim Division 3 Final preview Share this Article 0 0 0 Shares! 0 Shares! 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. Share this Article 0 0