Lismore and Saint Anne's set for another big final.

“Time flies when you are enjoying yourself”, so I was told in my school days at Saint Anne’s in Cappoquin over twenty years ago. I can’t remember which one it was for certain, but it was almost certain to my Geography and English teacher for my leaving cert, P.J. Dolan who one day must have spotted me in my usual position in the back row of the classroom and in the corner and wishing I was someplace else.

For me at times the past six months have seemed like six years at time, but at the same time, its hard to believe that it is one week short of twelve months that I reported on here on Lismore retaining the County Senior Camogie League, the prize for which is the Denny Buckley Cup, beating their arch rivals Saint Anne’s at Fraher Field.

Since then as we all know a lot of water has flown under the bridge.

Lismore went on to win the County Senior Championship Final against Saint Anne’s in Lemybrien. They added the Munster Intermediate title to their roll of honour later in the year beating Newmarket-on-Fergus from Clare after a replay and then after another replay beat Kilkenny side Ballyhale-Shamrocks in the Intermediate All-Ireland Final in Clonmel after the sides drew two weeks earlier in Croke Park.

For Saint Anne’s despite defeat to Lismore in last years County Senior League Final and in the County Senior Championship Final, some progress has been made. Late in the year they won the Minor ‘A’ Championship beating Cappoquin in the final, with a team that contains some fine up and coming players.

The fact that the two are meeting in this Sunday Evening’s League Final at Lemybrien is hardly surprizing. The two are with the past few years are the best two sides in the county, but how long more this can be said remains to be seen as hot on their heels are some excellent underage teams with some brilliant players who will once they are called into their number one adult team at club level, with fit in easily and will strengthen them as a unit.

Over the past few years, clashes between the two have become must not miss affairs. There have been some closely fought games where the outcome was in doubt right to the end.

In 2012, Lismore captured the first final where the Denny Buckley Cup was played for with his daughter Laura as captain. Later in the year the two sides clashed in the championship decider at Ardmore where Saint Anne’s came out on top.

Saint Anne’s went on to compete in the Munster Intermediate Championship but were unlucky to loose the Munster Final against Kilmaley for Clare in Lattin/Cullen after beating Tipperary side Moycarkey/Borris in the semi finals.

Twelve months ago, the league final between the two sides again at Fraher Field again proved to be a close affair with Lismore again coming out on top with a small margin to spare.

When the sides clashed in the autumn at Lemybrien, it looked as though Saint Anne’s would retain their county championship title as for much of the first half they looked to be the better of the sides, but two goals one either side of the break from Shona Curran and Sinead Walsh proved to be the difference between the sides as Lismore went on to win the game 2-15 to 0-15.

There is something telling me that that latest battle between the two sides will be as equally as close as the last four big games between the sides.

Lismore will go into the game as the favourites. After all, they only won an All-Ireland Club final a few weeks back.

 

But there might be no better team than Saint Anne’s to knock back a peg or two, its something every one loves to do. I am sure that there is some that will tell you despite drawing the Munster and All-Ireland finals Saint Anne’s were possibly the toughest teams they played over the past twelve months. Had Lismore not got them two crucial goals either side of the break in Lemybrien, would we be talking about Saint Anne’s going all the way to be Ballyhale Shamrocks. We can never say for sure, but maybe we just might. People often remember the first team to beat a championship winning team as much as they remember the side for winning side.

Saint Anne’s have some excellent players to choose from for this weekend’s final.

Rebecca Kavanagh was part of the Waterford Intermediate Panel for the League recently, haven been called up by new Waterford manager Niall O’Donnell. Pauline Cunningham, Charlotte Raher, Claire Whyte, Jennie Simpson, Mairead Murphy, Sinead Cummins, Karen Kelly and Zoe O’Donoghue all have played for the county over the past few years and know what it takes to come out on top in the big games.

Coming through they have some up and coming players in the likes of Labhaoise Dunbar who captained Waterford recently in the Minor All-Ireland ‘B’ Final against Derry recently as well as Bronwyn Grace and Sibeal Harney who would not be out of place if they were all given the nod to start the game.

If Saint Anne’s has some good players then so too have Lismore.

We all know about the likes of Aisling O’Brien, Marie Russell, Caitriona McGlone, Shona Curran, Nicola Morrissey, Grainne Kenneally, Laura Buckley etc. with some time but those that may not be aware of the quality of players we have in the county will have learned about the likes of Ruth Geoghegan, Aoife Hannon as well as Aoife and Johanna Houlihan etc. over the past few months, while we could also see Niamh Molumphy back in the team again this year after missing the majority of the past twelve months.

The game in Lemybrien on Sunday evening has a 5pm throw-in. If someone is looking for something to do, they could do worse than to go along and see the game. For those that have not seen camogie played in a long while or maybe have never seen the game played at all, they could find themselves pleasantly surprized with the standard of play that they will see.

Normally, finishing the preview of a game on here I like to make a prediction as to what way a game will go, but for this game, I think I will sit on the fence. To me it’s too close to call. It is certainly one of these games that can truly go one way or the other. Whether Lismore win the Denny Buckley Cup for the third time or Saint Anne’s for the first, one thing I expect is that not much will separate the sides. Maybe they will give supporters of both sides a second day out. They have come close to doing so in the recent past. Surely it’s only a matter of time before they do.