Gailltir to descend on Croke Park for all-Ireland intermediate club Camogie final

Every year clubs up and down the length of the country in any given sport set out with one aim in mind, to win as much as they possibly can with the amount of teams they are fielding in different competitions.

Every so often a year comes along that means something in a given club. It could be a particular anniversary of the formation of the club, it could be the anniversary of a significant achievement within a club, maybe the silver or golden jubilee of a championship win.

For the Gailltir Camogie Club 2018 was a special year, for this was the Diamond Anniversary of the formation of the club back in 1958 by a small group of people who had a hope that the ladies of the area could do just the men of the Gaultier area had done in winning the County Junior Football Final, but in the case of the women of the Barony, they would be doing it with hurley’s.

While most clubs are not preparing for competitions in 2019, for the ladies of Gailltir they are one of a handful of clubs that are still involved in 2018 competitions, and for them the end of 2018 competitions for them could very well have a fairy tale finish.

Last May the ladies of Gailltir had a win in the County Senior Camogie League Final beating a very good De La Salle side at the Ferrybank grounds.

In the late summer/early autumn the senior championship began with six clubs taking part.

Gailltir began the championship with a hard fought 1-13 to 0-13 win over De La Salle. In Round two they had to share the spoils when they drew with Cappoquin and in round three they had a very big 2-13 to 1-6 over 2017 champions Lismore.

The Sky Blues suffered their only defeat in the championship in round four losing out by the smallest possible margin against Saint Anne’s on a 0-16 to 2-9 score line.

These results meant that Gailltir were into the semi finals where they were once more pitted with Saint Anne’s. Those that read what I have to say in the G.A.A. here and in any newspaper which I contribute to, I have a line of thought that in underage hurling and football as well as in both codes of the women’s games things often work out that the side that lose the first day when two sides meet twice in close proximity will often come out on top the second day will often be the side that learns the most from the first day and the result the second day is reversed and so it happened here.

The Fitzgerald cousins, Annie, Shauna and Aoife contributed 1-6 of their sides tally of 1-10 in a 1-10 to 0-10 win at the WIT Arena. Kate Lynch, Ciara O’Sullivan, Áine Lyng and Hannah Hutchinson were the others to get their name on the score sheet that day.

The County Final was a repeat of the league final as Gailltir came up against De La Salle. This was an eagerly awaited game between two fine teams, and the players on both sides did not fail to deliver as they served up a high scoring entertaining game which Gailltir won 1-17 to 2-13 to complete a league and championship double.

The Fitzgerald cousin’s were once again to the fore for the winners in this game as Annie finished with nine points while Aoife finished with 1-3. Kate Lynch and Áine Lyng both hit two points each while Emer Walsh hit a point for the winners.

As in recent years the Waterford Senior Champions were put into the Intermediate Club Championship in the Munster Championship and were given a bye straight to the final where they played Cork’s Intermediate Champions Éire Óg.

The final was played in Leahy Park in Cashel and attracted a good attendance to support both clubs. Once more the ladies from the barony proved too good for their opponents winning on a 2-10 to 0-6 score line.

The Fitzgerald’s once more all got their names on the score sheet on the day as Annie finished top scorer with 1-3, while Aoife hit 1-1 and Shauna 0-1. Áine Lyng hit 0-4 on the say while teenage star Clodagh Carroll also got on the score sheet hitting a point for her side.

It was back to Cashel for the All-Ireland semi final in late January where Offaly side Saint Rynagh’s provided the opposition.

Gailltir once more put in a very solid hours work running out 3-8 to 0-12 winners.

While in previous games one of the Fitzgerald Cousins would finish as top scorer for Gailltir they showed here that they are more to this side than two or three players as it was Roisin Flood that finished top scorer on the day finishing with 1-1.

Clodagh Carroll and Ann Corcoran two of the many rising stars in the Gailltir clubs but hit goals for their club in this game, while Annie Fitzgerald with three points, the vastly experienced Áine Lyng with two points and Shauna Fitzgerald and Emer Walsh also got on the score sheet on the day for the winners.

There might be some that will argue right now that Camogie in Waterford is stronger than it is in Down, and will be making Gailltir favourites, maybe even clear favourites to become the first Waterford Club to win a Camogie All-Ireland at Croke Park (Lismore won theirs after a replay against Ballyhale Shamrocks in Clonmel back in 2014), but nobody will be underestimating the challenge that they face in Clonduff.

Ten members of the Clonduff Camogie Club helped Down reach last year’s All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Final, something no doubt that Gailltir will know only too well and will be the first to admit that only good players get to play in All-Ireland Finals, even if defeat on the day was to be their lot.

Included amongst the ten players to pull on the red and black shirt last September in Croke Park were team captain Paula Gribben as well as the Carr sisters Fionnuala and Sara Louise, daughters of the former Down star Ross Carr.

Playing in big games is nothing new for the County Down side. Four years ago they reached the All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi final losing out to a Piltown side from Kilkenny who went on to beat Lismore in the final, denying the Heritage town side back to back All-Ireland titles.

Ten of the side that started against Piltown five years ago will be expected to start this time around against Gailltír.

Like Gailltir, the County Down side played in the senior championship in their own county but in the intermediate grade after that will be confident going into this game.

They had a 0-10 to 0-7 win against Portaferry to win their County Final and beat Eglish in the Ulster Final. Eglish were the side that ended Gailltir’s interest in the 2016 championship at Ashbourne in January 2017 and last time out they had a Craughwell from Galway in the semi final.

Patricia O’Hagan was their top scorer against the Galway side finishing the game with six points, five of which came from placed balls, Sarah Louise Carr at full forward was their goal getter in that game while Isabella O’Hare and Orla Gribben also got their name on the score sheet.

Gailltir’s passage to Sundays All-Ireland Final is equally as impressive as their opponents.

After coming through the County Championship beating an excellent De La Salle side in the decider they went on to record an excellent win over Eire Óg from Cork in the Munster Final after getting a bye straight to the final.

Last time out they again impressed in beating Offaly champions Saint Rynagh’s in Cashel and confidence will be high going into this game.

While the side will not have had many competitive outing’s since they beat De La Salle in the County Final, the players will be well prepared for this game.

A number of players lined out for Waterford in the National League against Cork recently which will have helped to keep the players eye and touch up to the standard required for an All-Ireland Final, while many of the younger players are currently also preparing for an All-Ireland Final with Saint Angela’s secondary school in the coming weeks.

Gailltir would be expected to field similar to what they have in recent games.

Ciara Jackman will start between the posts, with Emily Mahony, Margo Heffernan and Claire Dunne just in front of her, with Leah Sheridan, Emma Roche and Hannah Flynn in the half back line.

Shauna Fitzgerald will be in the middle of the field and would be expected to be partnered by either Áine Lyng or Kate Lynch with the player missing out in the middle of the field expected to start in attack.

Elsewhere in attack Annie and Aoife Fitzgerald would be expected to start as would Emer Walsh, while the remaining two places would be expected to between Róisín Flood, Ann Corcoran, Clodagh Carroll and Ciara O’Sullivan.

Last time out the Gailltir selectors were able to call upon Trish Jackman now living and working in the UK and was able to send her on for the last few minutes when Saint Rynagh’s were piling on the pressure and her experience proved vital.

Will the Gailltir management team be able to call on her this time, we will have to wait and see, and if she is available will she start or come on again during the course of the game.

Only one Waterford club has won in Croke Park on All-Ireland Final Day, that being Ardmore last year in the Junior Hurling Final. Can Gailltir become the first Waterford female Club team to win at G.A.A. Headquarters on All-Ireland Final day?

You have to think that the Sky Blues can win this final. To get where they are did not happen overnight. A great number of hours have been put in on the training field over the last number of years preparing the team for this weekend. A new calendar year might have being entered in recent weeks but when it comes to Camogie Gailltir are still in 2018, the 60^th anniversary of their formation.

Will their 60^th year have a memorable finish. I think it will.