Munster Under 14A Semi Final V Cork

Clare will take on Cork in the Ladies Football U – 14 Munster
A Semi Final on Wednesday 14th next at 5.45pm in Cusack Park,
Ennis. The Clare Ladies Football County Board wishes to acknowledge
the Clare County GAA Board, led by Chairman Michael McDonagh and
Secretary Pat Fitzgerald, for their foresight in allowing this
important game to go ahead at headquarters. It is a big boost
to Ladies Gaelic Football in the county that access to the county
stadium has finally been allowed.

 

Clare, in facing Cork, will be up against the best county in
Ireland at this grade. Cork, the reigning Munster A champions,
are the king pins of Munster Ladies Gaelic Football and with fifty
eight clubs behind them they will not be beaten easily. Cork defeated
Limerick in the first round on a score line of 9 – 1 9 to 0 –
2 while Clare, admittedly somewhat understrength, went down to
Kerry on a score line of 5 – 18 to 0 – 2. However Clare have had
very good performances at U – 14 level this year and have had
comprehensive wins over Limerick and Waterford in Munster as well
as accounting for Wexford, Louth and Westmeath in the All ireland
Division Two blitz. Has the gap in class between the two counties,
so evident in Cork’s 2 – 12 to 2 – 4 win over Clare at this stage
of the competition last year, been closed? This is the question
being asked of the Clare team and management next Wednesday.

There is no doubting the hard work done over the last two years
in trying to improve Clare ladies football at under age level.
The Clare manager James Lafferty and his backroom team of James
Pender, Kay Considine, Johnny Hayes, P.J.O’Halloran and J.J. O’Dea
would love to win this game and put Clare through to a Munster
A Final for the first time ever against the winners of the other
semi final Kerry or Limerick.

 

Clare, backboned by members of the 2005 Banner All Ireland Féile
winning team, will be at full strength for this game and nothing
short of a big effort by all involved will see the Clare girls
have a chance of victory. Cork will be raging hot favourites but
with home advantage, and hopefully an enthusiastic and vocal home
support, the Clare girls can give a very good account of themselves.
All Clare sporting supporters are asked to turn out in force on
Wednesday evening and be the ’16th man’ in the Banner County’s
quest to put one over on the Rebels. Good luck to all involved
in this big game.

 

The Clare team will be selected from the following panel:-

 

Laura Brennan, Louise Woods, Eimear O’Connor, Aoife Davoren,
Laurie Ryan, Niamh O’Dea, Megan Haugh, Marion Conway (The Banner
Ladies), Tiana Flanagan (Burren Gaels), Sally Glynn (Cooraclare),
Lisa Loughnane (Clooney-Quin), Niamh O’Connell (Coolmeen), Rachel
Ryan (Doonbeg), Aoife Murphy, Sarah O’Keeffe (Doora-Barefield),

Shauna Keane (Éire Óg), Laura Meaney (Fergus Rovers),
Miriam Frawley, Ailish Considine, Deirdre Waters (Kilmihil), Siobhán
Talty, Katie Curtin, Sinéad Sexton,

Ciara Burke, Siobhán Garrihy, Niamh Pender (Miltown),
Sarah Bohannon, Sarah Meaney (Shannon Gaels), Catherine Danaher,
Leona Regan, Kerry Quinn (Wolfe Tones na Sionna).

 

All players are asked to be in the dressing room at Cusack Park
no later than 4.45pm on Wednesday.