Tag Archives: ladies football

SHE’S only 25 but when Ailish Considine totted up the figures, the Kilmihil girl realised that she has been playing adult football for 12 years. As the club approaches their second successive county final against Banner Ladies on Sunday, Considine somewhat reluctantly acknowledged that she is not far off the veteran category. “It’s mad. I didn’t think it was that long. I probably am one of the oldest on the team now, which is a scary thought,” she laughed uneasily. This weekend’s final will be just the fourth club championship game of 2017 for both clubs, who met in the two team group stages. While Considine gets plenty of games at county level, she knows that club players simply don’t get sufficient matches. A senior or intermediate club team play three championship games at most, if they don’t make it out of their group and lose their B or shield semi-final. Throw in the fact that clubs often have to …

BEATEN by 24 points on July 2 by Kerry, how do the Clare minor footballers recover from that Munster final hammering? Perhaps the only way is to somehow try to forget about it and apply all of their energy into producing a performance against Dublin on Monday in their All-Ireland quarter-final tie. The game will be played in Portlaoise at 2pm. Clare have no choice really. That’s all they can do and, hopefully, they will at least compete with the Leinster champions, who beat Louth to win the provincial title. Clare selector Eamon Keane says their primary task since the Munster final was to somehow raise the confidence of all involved. The only option available is to play with conviction in an effort to restore pride. “We were well beaten in the Munster final and confidence was down. For a few weeks afterwards we had to build that up and I think we’ve succeeded in doing that. We’ve worked hard …

FOR the second year in succession, Clare will face Tipperary in the Munster intermediate ladies football final. The game will take place at Mallow on Saturday at 1.15pm. It is the curtain raiser to the senior final, which sees Waterford face Kerry. “The two sides know each other very well,” Clare boss Neil Moynihan told The Clare Champion this week. “Tipperary will carry the favourites’ tag after their Division 3 league success. They are chassing the treble of league, Munster and All-Ireland titles. Hopefully, we can make things difficult for them,” the Galway man added. There are a number of injury concerns for the Clare side. Nicole Doherty (ankle), Shauna Harvey (quad), Ailish Considine (hamstring) and Becky Mahon (ankle) are all battling to be fit, while there are also doubts about Róisín Considine, who has just returned to training and Lizzie Roche, who returned from holidays this week. “We are working from a new panel this year, as we only …

Carron will host the Clare lady footballers’ first league game, when they play Waterford at 2pm on Sunday. All-Ireland intermediate finalists in 2016, where they lost by just a point to Kildare, Clare are likely to field up to four débutantes this weekend. With a number of key players from last year not involved this season, Clare will field a much less experienced team. Younger players like Lizzie Roche, Anna Courtney, Amanda Mulcair, Tara Kelly and Nicole O’Doherty are very likely to feature on Sunday, as Clare comes to grip with the absence of Louise Henchy (retired), Niamh Keane, Emma O’Driscoll and Laura Egan. Eva O’Dea is still absent due to a long-term knee injury, picked up in Clare’s 2016 All-Ireland semi-final win over Tipperary. Manager Neil Moynihan is hoping for the best against what are senior opponents. “Home advantage will be no advantage whatsoever when you’re playing the likes of Waterford, who are a senior team. We played them …

She has been pulling on the county jersey for 16 years but Louise Henchy can count on one hand the number of times she has lined out in Cusack Park. The Ennis-based accountant, who has played soccer for Ireland at underage and senior level, can recall most of her games there, one of which dates back nearly 20 years. “I remember I played midfield against Carmel Bohannon [Fergus Rovers], a long, long time ago. We also played Donegal in a league final [2008]. I’ve probably played in Cusack Park three or four times,” the Banner Ladies club player recounted. Ideally, Henchy would like if female footballers had more access to the county grounds but she has accepted that is unlikely during her playing career. “It’s not great but to tell you the truth, I’m used to it. A lot of people ask do we ever train out in Caherlohan at the new [GAA] pitches? But I’ve only seen it from …

CLARE dual player Niamh O’Dea has described the fixing of a club camogie championship match seven days before the All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies Football Championship final as “an embarrassment”. Clare will play Kildare on Sunday, September 25 in football final in Croke Park. Meanwhile, on this coming Sunday, Kilmaley are due to meet Clooney-Quin in a vital senior club championship fixture. Three of Kilmaley’s key players, O’Dea, Emma O’Driscoll and Ailish Considine are all starting players in the county football team. “We are raging. It’s awful disappointing on our behalf that we are made to pick. We have given time all year to football and camogie but the board can’t agree on anything. They are putting us in a very difficult situation. The last thing you want on your mind going into an All-Ireland final is this hassle. If it was a men’s county team there wouldn’t be any trouble at all. It’s an absolute disgrace that women are not given …

Clare 3-14 Tipperary 2-16 THE Clare lady footballers will contest the intermediate All-Ireland final in Croke Park on September 25 following a sensational semi-final win over Tipperary in Limerick on Saturday afternoon. At the end of a dramatic hours football, with both teams executing superb scores and exceptional instances of skill and bravery, Clare overturned their Munster final defeat to Tipperary. Two magnificent Niamh O’Dea goals, late in the first half, helped Clare into 2-7 to 1-9 lead, while an early Niamh Keane goal after half-time, was also vital. Twelve minutes from time, Clare goalkeeper Emma O’Driscoll made a critical save from Tipperary’s Orla O’Dwyer. Tipperary led 2-14 to 3-10 at the time and from the clearance, Niamh O’Dea pointed Clare level. The Kilfenora girl also kicked the winning score, two minutes from the end of normal time. The score was brilliantly executed by O’Dea but it was made by a Niamh Keane run, in which she held off three …

Waterford 1-14 Clare 2-7 THE Clare lady footballers were narrowly beaten in the Munster intermediate final in Mallow on Saturday afternoon. Playing with a very strong breeze in the opening half, Clare went in tied 0-7 each at half time. To have a realistic chance of winning they really needed to have established a five or six point interval advantage but Waterford played some impressive, controlled football into the breeze. They were very adept at carrying the ball and their scoring taking was also impressive with centre forward Maria Delahunty putting over two excellent first half frees and a point from play in the opening half. Clare were more direct in their play, which they had to be given that they were backed by the breeze. Gráinne Nolan and Ailish Considine looked sharp in the opening half while Carol O’Leary carried ball and ran at Waterford. The Newmarket girl was one four dual players forced to chose between representing Clare …