Ladies Football Article

The venues have been announced for the TG4 Senior
and Junior All Ireland Ladies Football Championship semi-finals. 

All Ireland Champions Cork will play high scoring Laois in the
first Senior semi-final on Saturday 2nd September at 5pm in Tullamore.
The Junior semi-final between Sligo and Clare will also take place
in Tullamore on the 2nd with throw-in at 3.15pm.

Cork have been impressive all season and won the Munster Championship
at a canter beating Waterford by 11 points in the Munster final.
All Star midfielder Juliet Murphy led her Rebels to quarter-final
success against a resilient Mayo side to set up their semi-final
clash with Laois.

“We played well against Waterford but Laois will represent
a completely different challenge. They have shown all season that
they are deadly in-front of goal so we will have to work hard
to stop them getting into good scoring positions,” said Murphy

Laois have found the net no fewer than 14 times on the road to
the All Ireland semi-final putting four past Monaghan in last
weekend’s quarter-final win at Breffni Park. Laois captain,
Gemma O’Connor, who scored one of the O’Moore County’s
goals against Monaghan, is looking forward to taking on the reigning
champions.

“Cork have set the benchmark in Ladie ’s Football over
the last couple of season’s. We are a young side but we have
a lot of confidence and hopefully we will be able to give the
Champions a real run for their money.” said O’Connor

The second TG4 Senior All Ireland Ladies Football Championship
semi-final takes place between this season’s surprise package
Armagh and last year’s beaten finalists Galway in Roscommon
on Saturday 9th September at 5.00pm. The remaining Junior semi-final
between Longford and Leitrim will serve as a curtain raiser for
the senior match in Roscommon with throw-in at 3.15pm

Armagh, the 2005 All Ireland Junior Champions, beat Monaghan
by two points in the Ulster final before accounting for Waterford
at the quarter-final stage thanks to goals from Sharon Duncan
and Maria O’Donnell. Armagh captain Bronagh McDonnell said

“We’re just taking every game as it comes, no one expected
us to get this far and we know that Galway are going to be very
hard to beat, but at this stage we have no fear and we have nothing
to lose,” said Bronagh McDonnell, captain of the Orchard
Ladies.

Galway have shown a steely determination to reach the final four
of this year’s Championship and they will want to go one
step further and avenge last year’s defeat in the final.
The Tribeswomen beat Mayo by two points in the Connacht final
and needed two outings to account for Meath but the extra game
will no doubt stand to the 2004 All Ireland Champs as they look
to add Armagh to their list of vanguished foes.

Galway captain Lorna Joyce said “We had two really tough
games against Meath and we needed them. We showed great character
to come back in both of those games and that team spirit might
just give us the edge we need to overcome Armagh.”

TG4 All Ireland Championship Semi Finals

Saturday 2nd September 2006

Junior

Clare v Sligo 3.15pm Tullamore

Senior

Cork v Laois 5.00pm Tullamore

Saturday 9th September 2006

Junior

Leitrim v Longford 3.15pm Roscommon

Senior

Armagh v Galway 5.00pm Roscommon