Lismore and Piltown - Ready to do battle

If you care to take a look back to twelve months ago this week and to what I wrote on here, you will notice that I said that ‘Sunday’ in a preview of the All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Club Finals was going to be a big day for Lismore.

If you are from Piltown in County Kilkenny, or from Lismore or even a supporter of either sides Camogie team then this Sunday is a big weekend. For Lismore the weekend is going to be a bigger one than for Piltown.

The South Kilkenny outfit are attempting to win an All-Ireland Club final for the first time and their will be some pressure on them for it to happen.

For the West Waterford Club the pressure is even bigger as they are attempting to retain the title they won 50 weeks ago, and will be attempting to win at GAA Headquarters on Jones Road in Dublin 3 for the first time, having won the title last year at the Sports Field in Clonmel after a replay against another Kilkenny side – Ballyhale Shamrocks.

The Path to this Sunday’s final has been a long and interesting one for both sides, with some scares for both along the way.

Piltown make the journey to Croke Park this Sunday with an unbeaten record in the last year.

The past twelve months have proven to be a year to remember for many.

The South Kilkenny Club win the All-Kilkenny Camogie League, they won the Kilkenny Intermediate League. The Kilkenny County Intermediate Championship was won, the side going one step further than they did twelve months ago when they lost to Ballyhale Shamrocks, and the Leinster Intermediate Championship was also won against Laois side Camross, the side beaten in the final twelve months previously, along the way Birr from Offaly and Myshall from Carlow were beaten and last time out they were well tested by Ulster champions Clonduff.

For Lismore, the past year for this group of players, the past year has also proven to be an exciting time.

Twelve months ago this week, Aoife Hannon landed a pressure point to earn her side a share of the spoils in All-Ireland Final. Two weeks later in the replay at Clonmel, Catriona McGlone was the name on everyone’s lips as she hit a hat-trick in Clonmel to help her side win a First Adult All-Ireland in the year the club was celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the clubs formation.

Players from the club who will be involved this weekend helped Waterford win All-Ireland under 16 and Minor All-Ireland ‘B’ championships.

Lismore retained their County Senior Championship won twelve months previously, beating Saint Anne’s at Fraher Field in what was an entertaining game, but the Cathedral Town girls will be the first to admit that they were lucky on the day, but in saying that, winners at times need luck, and at times lots of it.

They went on to beat Borrisoleigh from Tipperary playing on their own sod in the Munster semi final and in the final beat what was a fancied Sarsfields side from Cork in Fermoy. Last time out, Lismore beat another fancied side Oranmore Maree from Galway at Charleville in the All-Ireland semi final.

The only slip up for Lismore over the past two years since Seamus Prendergast took over as the sides manager was in the League Final at Lemybrien when they narrowly lost to great rivals Saint Anne’s and its fair to say that the side will not want any more slip ups.

Both sides are expected to line out along familiar lines this weekend, but maybe one or two tough calls to be made by both sides.

For the challengers, Aoife Norris is expected to start between the posts. Katelynn Phelan will be in the right corner back position, even if Carol McCarthy played their in the semi final win, Elaine Kenny in front of the posts and Jennifer Norris is the left corner.

In four of Piltown’s last five championship games Debbie Phelan has played at right half back. Last time out Mairead Power who played Ladies Football with Comeragh Rangers played but Debbie Phelan would be expected to get the nod to start this game. Karen Duggan who is understood to have family links with Lismore will be at centre back and Kelly Ann Doyle will be at left half back.

Team captain Laura Norris will be in the middle of the field. Who will partner her will be interesting. Alice Talbot was her partner in three of the last four games and would be expected to be given the nod again here.

Nicole Culleton and Chloe Holden will battle it out for the number ten shirt, Nicolle Culleton would be the once expected to start there. Edel Long could well be at centre forward and former WIT Ashbourne Cup winning captain Katie Power would be expected to start with number 12 on her back.

In the full forward line Chloe Holden and Georgina Culleton would be expected to start in the corner forward positions with the dangerous Chloe Blackmore at full forward but to see the latter two change positions would not be a major surprise.

Should Mairead Power and Carol McCarthy fail to get a place in the team from the start, it would not be a surprise to see them come into the game at some stage if needed as would be the case with Lorraine Long who started the games with Saint Bridget’s in the Kilkenny County Final and the game with Birr but has not started since.

Nicola Phelan who hit a goal in the win over Clonduff would also be expecting to win a place in the team at some stage this time out.

Lismore too are expected to field a familiar looking line up.

Tanya Morrissey will start between the posts.

Sarah Prendergast will be at full back, Marie Russell will be in the left corner. The management team of Seamus Prendergast, Geraldine Barry, Jim Russell and Austin Curran will have to make a very big call as to whether they will keep Niamh Molumphy who played in the win over Oranmore Maree in the right corner or put Sarah Coughlan back in the left corner back position.

Shauna Kiernan will be at centre back, Sarah Fenton will be at number seven and Aoife Houlihan who is cleared to play in this game after her very controversial sending off two minutes into the second half against Oranmore Maree could well start at number five, but will she?

Duel Inter County stars Shona Curran and Grainne Kenneally could well be starting with eight and nine on their backs, but to see Grainne Kenneally do a direct swap with Aoife Houlihan leaving her to shadow Katie Power is a possibility.

In attack, five of the six forwards could possibly be named at this stage. Ruth Geoghegan, Catriona McGlone, Sharon Williams, Nicola Morrissey and Aoife Hannon would all be expected to start but in what position is anybody’s guess.

Catriona McGlone, the goal scoring machine with the past year could well start at full forward. Ruth Geoghegan who caused Ballyhale Shamrocks last year with plenty of space available to use could well start at wing forward. Aoife Hannon could well be the centre forward and Sharon Williams playing in her first final could be on the opposite wing.

Nicola Morrissey could well start in the corner but to see her swap with Ruth Geoghegan is a possibility.

This all leaves one place up for grabs with Johanna Houlihan, last year goalkeeper Aisling O’Brien and one of the oldest and most experienced players in the panel Laura Buckley all vying for the last place in the team. Who the selectors will go for is anybody’s guess, for what it’s worth, I have a hunch it could be one of the two older of the three.

So who will win on Sunday?

I wish I had a Crystal ball and a wad of spare cash. It truly is anyone’s guess. One thing we do know is that the ribbons on the Agnes O’Farrelly Cup will be Black and Amber. We also know that the Cup will head in the direction of the Naas Road after the game (that is if there is a winner) but after the Naas turn off will it be taking a turn down the M9 or will it continue on further before turning down the M8.

Lismore will know that they will have to keep a very close eye on Katie Power if they are to win. In the Kilkenny County final she put 3-8 past Saint Bridget’s. In the Leinster Championship she put 0-6 past Birr, 0-10 past Myshall and 1-5 against Camross. Last time out against Clonduff the star wing forward was kept quite as she put just one point on the score board.

However the danger in putting two much focus on keeping Katie Power quite it could leave others to put in a player of the match performance. Last time out it was Chloe Blackmore that stole the show, hitting 2-3 of her sides 3-5 scored on the day.

Others that could well hit the crucial scores on Sunday should Katie Power be kept relatively quiet are Edel Long, Chloe Holden, Laura Norris and Nicole Culleton.

The bookies may make Lismore favourites in the run up to Sunday’s All-Ireland, but favourites do not always win.

However, Lismore have a lot going for them.

They did not win last years final at Croke Park and they will want to say in the years to come that they won at least one All-Ireland Final at GAA Headquarters, which is an ambition of every player at every level.

Last time out, they showed great hunger in the way they played in the second half in particular against Oranmore Maree when playing with a player disadvantage, and more over in the closing minutes when the Galway side began to mount a lot of pressure in the closing minutes of the game.

Playing at Croke Park can be a daunting experience for many players. Many have in the past frozen on the big day. Playing there is much different to any other ground, and on Sunday it will be even much more difficult as their will be large areas of the massive stadium that they will not hear a familiar voice shout words of encouragement when the pressure is most on.

Both sides have had great years up to now. One team is going to be disappointed on Sunday if they do not have to do it all over again, most possibly at Clonmel in a few weeks time.

With so many of the Lismore players expected to play at some stage on Sunday, having played at Croke Park in the past, their experience in playing inside the stadium will have to count for something if the hunger that Piltown will show can be matched.

If there is to be a winner on Sunday, it could well prove to be Lismore, but it won’t easily happen.