Leinster Finals Match previews

TG4 Leinster Ladies Championship Finals

Sunday 6th August 2006

The four teams who battled each other and the bad weather at the
start of the season to win their way to the finals now meet in
better conditions in the ultimate provincial test on next Sunday.
Longford face Wexford and Meath meet Laois in the Junior and Senior
finals respectively. It is to be hoped that there will be a major
attendance at the games where this most attractive programme can
be guaranteed to provide a great evening’s entertainment.

The curtain raiser sees the relatively young Longford team comprised
of many of the minors who won the Leinster Minor B Championship
last year take on the more settled Wexford squad. Backboned by
three Inter Provincial players this Wexford team will provide
stern opposition for Longford which has recently been downgraded
and plays in the Junior ranks for the first time since 1997. Coincidentally
each team fields one All-star both of whom are at the top of their
form. Leona Tector and Sharon Treacy were also teammates on the
victorious Leinster team this year. Edel Quinn, the only other
Longford member of the Leinster team, will be renewing acquaintance
with Leinster teammates Mary R Kelly and Nicky Scallan. Neither
team is affected by injury. All those involved in junior football
will be looking forward eagerly to this contest which promises
to be a fiercely contested match between two top class teams.

The youthful Longford Manager Carl Demody and John Kelly Coach
and Selector are optimistic and enter the fray confident of the
outcome. Wexford’s manager Nicky White ably assisted by Owen Shields
can rely on very wise counsel from those three wily and vastly
experienced selectors Pat Quill, Peter Rice and Larry Doyle all
of whom, no doubt, are equally confident.

Meath take on Laois in the Senior Final. When the teams last
met in the championship, in the first week in July, Laois romped
out as winners with almost double scores in a high scoring game.
They cannot expect to repeat that feat so easily if at all. Meath
will be a much-improved team when they line out in Dr Cullen Park.
However Laois too is a much-improved side since their outing in
May when Dublin defeated them by two points. They then played
Kildare twice, once in the third round and again in the semi-final.
Laois must expect a much better performance from Meath than they
have encountered in any of their games so far and the depleted
Meath team which last played them is unlikely to be in evidence
on next Sunday. If the Meath team is not in top form the most
disappointed group in Dr Cullen Park will be the Sheridan family
since Geraldine Sheridan is the Manager, daughter Mary is captain,
another daughter Mena is a member of the squad and father Damian
is a selector. The six Inter Provincial players among the Meath
panel must be noted, not least Geraldine Doherty who was Player
of the competition in the Inter Provincials this year. Not to
be out done Laois also have six Inter Provincials. As in the junior
ranks neither squad is carrying injuries.

At the helm in Laois are Pat Critchley, Connie Conroy and Lulu
Carroll the latter bringing a wealth of recent playing experience
to her new role.

While Meath might be regarded as an emerging strong team this
year in the Senior ranks the fact that Laois is contesting its
tenth Leinster final is testament to the strength of a side with
long experience and great resilience. They see the departure of
some of their established players from the panel but others like
Tracey Lawlor and her Inter Provincial partners are there to pick
up the baton and together they should give a Meath a good run
for its money. This is anybody’s game.