Ballymacarbry and Banner Ladies Renew Rivalry

One of the greatest rivalries that have built up in the world of G.A.A. be it in the men’s games or the ladies games is that between Banner Ladies and Ballymacarbry in Ladies Football.  

The sides have met each year in the Munster Senior ‘B’ Club Championship each year since 2012 and with the winners of those games (when they were Munster Finals) the winners have gone on in recent years to play Mourneabbey from Cork in the Munster Senior ‘A’ Final and that is another fantastic rivalry that has built up.

The two sides who are the kingpins or should that be queenpins of the game in both Waterford and Clare are due to play again this Friday Evening at the superbly appointed Mallow grounds in North Cork where the prize on offer once more is a meeting with Mourneabbey in the Munster final.

Ballymacarbry are without a competitive game in a number of weeks and you have to wonder what effect that will have on them going into this game.

Their last competitive outing was early last month when they beat Comeragh Rangers 0-8 to 0-4 at the Dungarvan Club Grounds in the County Final, a game that saw Ballymacarbry win what surly is a record thirty seventh county final in a row.

They were to due to play Killarney in the Munster Semi Final recently but the Kerry side conceded a walkover in that game which is something that must have disappointed the Ballymacarbry ladies in some way as they would have relished a game between a County Final and a potential Munster Final if as would be expected they got over the hurdle that the Kerry side processed.

In their game with Comeragh Rangers it was some of Ballymacarbry’s more experienced players that really stepped up to the mark once more when it came to scoring on the day as Sinead Ryan finished as top scorer with half of her sides tally of four points while Linda Wall and Michelle Ryan two more players that have given outstanding service to the Ballymacarbry Club shared the other scores between them evenly.

Banner Ladies had a game much more recent than what Ballymacarbry had when they had a comprehensive win over Tipperary Champions Cahir, putting nine goals past the South Tipperary Club in that game.

Earlier this year the Clare side were without a number of their more established players for some of their games, players like Niamh Keane, Emma O’Driscoll, Naomi Carroll and Sinead Power, but they would be expected to be close to full strength for this game and should also be able to call on players like Anne Marie Meenaghan, Ciara Corbett, Tara McInerney, Laoise and Aoibhinn Ryan, Evan Carey and Alannah McNamara.

Ballymacarbry will be able to call on a number of household names for this game, almost all if not all of whom have played inter county football at some level or other over the past few years.

Goalkeeper Lauren Fitzpatrick and corner back Treasa McGrath have played for Tipperary in recent years while the likes of sisters Michelle and Karen McGrath, Aileen, Mairead and Linda Wall as well as Michelle, Sinead and Louise Ryan have won numerous honours at club and inter county levels, while there is others like Kelly Ann Hogan, Abbie Dalton, Eiblis Cooney and Brigita Valuntaite will be absolute vital in this game for their side.

Most seem to favour the Clare side to come out on top in this game, maybe because they have tended to come out on top in the most recent meetings between the two sides, or because they played a competitive game more recently, but this Ballymacarbry side will not be put out with how some are rating their chances.

What Ballymacarbry have going for them this year is that Michael Ryan is involved in the management team and the former inter county team manager who has achieved so much both in Ladies Football and in the men’s codes has a fantastic brain to reading the game and his involvement will almost certainly mean that changes will be made as soon as they are needed if in fact changes are needed rather than maybe waiting for a message to come down from the stand and maybe by such time it might be too late.

I for one will respect the opinions of those that are expecting the County Clare side of advancing to a meeting with the Cork champions in the Munster Final, but I for one will be giving the side in Blue and White shirts an outstanding chance of advancing to that meeting with Mourneabbey.

 

 

Previous Meetings between Ballymacarbry and Banner Ladies

2012 Banner Ladies 4-11         Ballymacarbry 4-8

2013  Banner Ladies 5-6          Ballymacarbry 2-12

2014  Banner Ladies 4-11        Ballymacarbry 2-12

2015  Ballymacarbry 1-22        Banner Ladies 0-17

2016  Banner Ladies 4-9          Ballymacarbry 1-12

2017  Ballymacarbry 3-14        Banner Ladies 1-8