Cooraclare seek to dethrone Banner Ladies

Miltown will have the honour of hosting the 30th Clare Senior Ladies Championship final on Sunday next between Banner Ladies, the holders, and Cooraclare takes place in Hennessy Memorial Park at 4pm.
Cooraclare won their last of nine titles in 2007 when they defeated Miltown. This year, the Cooraclare/Cree girls are managed by Cooraclare men’s goalkeeper Declan Keane, Dan Sheedy and the vastly experienced Noel Lillis.
Full-forward Eithne Morrissey, twice an All-Star, scored 2-2 and set up Anne Marie Callinan for their opening goal in Cooraclare’s semi-final win over West Clare Gaels. Mairéad Griffin is a seasoned campaigner in goals while Bernie Kelly has seen it all in the Cooraclare defence. Bernie, along with Anne Marie Callinan, has been a regular on the Clare county panel in recent years. Ellie O’Gorman from Kilmihil is assisting the Blues this year, as is Aideen Lineen. Last October, Ellie won the Munster skills competition. She is a minor, like Róisín Looney and Aoife O’Gorman. All three were key players on the Clare minor team this year while Looney made her debut with the senior team. Team captain Noreen McGuane should line out in the half-forward line with young Aoife O’Gorman and the experienced Niamh Chambers. Helen Quinn is a lively forward and, together with Callinan and Morrissey, are a potent full-forward line.
Midfield will be the key area for both sides. Both have good sets of forwards and Cooraclare will definitely need a plan to limit the supply to Banner’s top scorer, Niamh O’Dea, player of the match in last years’ county final. Niamh Keane at centre-forward is another of the Banner’s top forwards while Louise Henchy, normally a midfielder, played in the half-forward line in the semi-final. Should Banner go with the same forward formation as in the semi-final, Naomi Carroll and Katie Cahill are likely to line out in the middle of the field. Cooraclare will need to strengthen up their defence so Bernie Kelly could be moved back, with Ellie O’Gorman and Róisín Looney likely to start in the middle.
Morrissey at one end and O’Dea at the other will be seen as the major threats. However, they need to receive the ball to inflict the damage, so midfield is crucial. 
Banner Ladies’ route to Sunday’s final included wins over West Clare Gaels in the opening round (3-15 to 3-8) while in Round 2 they overcame Sunday’s opponents 2-21 to 5-3. In Round 3 they accounted for Liscannor 3-14 to 0-11. Banner again met Liscannor in the semi-final last Saturday week in Miltown, where it ended 5-8 to 1-6.
Cooraclare were defeated in all three group games. In Round 1 they lost out to Liscannor 3-10 to 3-3. In Round 3 they suffered a single point defeat to West Clare Gaels, 1-9 to 2-5 while in between lost out to Banner Ladies. Cooraclare defeated senior B champions Newmarket in the quarter-final. In the semi-final they were drawn against 2010 champions West Clare Gaels. Cooraclare gave their best performance of the season when it mattered most to defeat the Gaels 3-10 to 1-8 last Sunday week.
Banner Ladies have been the dominant senior club in the county in the last half-dozen years or so. They reached their first senior final in 2006, where ironically they lost to Cooraclare.
The Ennis outfit won their first senior championship in 2008 and put two back-to-back the following year. When going for three-in-a row they were halted by West Clare Gaels in an epic final.
They reversed that result last year so on Sunday they aim for their fourth senior title. The management team of Joe Reidy, JJ O’Dea, Pat Crotty and Mark Molyneaux have many experienced players that hold many titles in both football and camogie.
Goalkeeper Emma O’Driscoll captained Clare this year and was selected on the Bord Gais Energy team of the league a few months ago. She was joined on the county panel by Laurie Ryan, Louise Woods, Michelle Delaney, Naomi Carroll, Louise Henchy, Niamh Keane, Susan Higgins and Niamh O’Dea. Kilmaley’s Shona Enright and Katie Cahill are among the many dual players aiming for a club double.
They have won many underage football titles with Clare from U-14 to minor. Sinéad O’Keeffe captained St Flannan’s to the Munster post-primary schools B title earlier this year while Rebecca Culligan played on the Clare minor team that defeated Roscommon in the All-Ireland B final a few weeks ago. Sinéad Quinn, Aoibheann Malone and Eva O’Dea all played their part with the Clare U-16s this year.
Cooraclare won their first county senior title in 1994. Back then, they were managed by Senan O’Brien and Joe Garry.
Three players on that team, who the previous day were part of the Clare U-16 team that won the county’s last All-Ireland underage A title were Niamh Chambers, Eithne Morrissey and Majella Lillis. Eighteen years later, those three players will be aiming to bridge a five-year gap for the oldest club in Clare.
Sunday’s county final with a 4pm throw-in will be refereed by Barry Kelly, Miltown.

Banner panel: Louise Woods (captain), Emma O’Driscoll, Sinéad O’Keeffe, Michelle Delaney, Sinéad Quinn, Orlaith Lynch, Caroline McNulty, Rachel Grogan, Aoibheann Malone, Laurie Ryan, Aoife Cavanagh, Niamh Cavanagh, Sonya Maher, Rebecca Culligan, Niamh Keane, Susan Higgins, Louise Henchy, Katie Cahill, Shonagh Enright, Naomi Carroll, Niamh O’Brien, Eva O’Dea, Niamh O’Dea, Gráinne Nolan, Karen Roche, Aoife Keane.
Cooraclare panel: Noreen McGuane (captain), Mairéad Griffin, Danielle Dillon, Niamh Burke, Majella Lillis, Lourda Lillis, Niamh Chambers, Róisín Looney, Áine Looney, Ellie O’Gorman, Elaine Kelly, Helen Quinn, Orlaith Reidy, Aideen Lineen, Áine Pyne, Aoife O’Gorman, Sheerena Clarke, Bernie Kelly, Eithne Morrissey, Anne Marie Callinan, Jacinta Tubridy, Lisa O’Dea, Louise O’Gorman, Sile Callinan, Ciara Golden, Monica Lillis, Louise Murrihy, Niamh Donnellan.