Ballymacarbry Good Enough To Dethrone Munster and All-Ireland Champions

It is that time of the year again. You know it, or you should know it by now. It is time for the two best Ladies Football Club sides in Munster in recent years Cork’s Mourne Abbey and Waterford’s Ballymacarbry in this year’s Munster Ladies Football Final, with the game being switched this evening from Cahir to up the road in Bansha.

These two sides will know each other well as they have met on a number of occasions in recent years, and it is fair to say that there is very little that one can throw at the other side that they won’t know about their opponents, maybe with the exception of a new young player that might have not featured in one of these games in recent times.

The Cork side will go into this game as favourites. They recently won a sixth county final in a row in Cork beating West Cork on a 4-9 to 1-9 score line, an incredible achievement for any club in any sport.

But keep this quite, it might have gone un noticed by some, and if it has it was by a very small number of people, their opponents in this final Ballymacarbry recently celebrated a THIRTY-EIGHT yes that is 38 County Senior Ladies Football Final in a row, beating Comeragh Rangers recently 1-14 to 0-14 in Lemybrien, meaning that if the Cork side as impressive their dominance is in Rebel Land, they have some catching up to do if they are to surpass what Ballymacarbry have done over the past four decades.

When the sides met at the same stage of the Provincial Competition at Cahir twelve months ago it was the Cork Side that ran out winners on a 1-16 to 2-9 score line and they went on to win the All-Ireland Final last December beating Dublin Champions Foxrock/Cabinteely 1-13 to 1-7 at Parnell Park having lost out in three previous All-Ireland Club Finals.

The strength that the Cork side have in their ranks can be seen when you consider that their opponents West Cork had ten members of the Cork Senior Ladies Football Panel in their team and we all know how strong Ladies Football in Cork is in the past decade and a half and all they have won.

In that game Mourne Abbey showed why they are the reigning Munster and All-Ireland Champions as players like the O’Sullivan sisters – Doireann, Ciara, Róisín and Meabh, Eimear Meaney, Marie O’Callaghan, Noelle Healy and Brid O’Sullivan to name but a few produced a class performance for their club.

When the sides met at Cahir last year, the Cork side had to work hard to win a fifth Munster Final in a row, as Ballymacarbry gave them a run for their money.

Supporters might remember that there was a long hold up in that game as the sides waited for 45 minutes for an ambulance to arrive at the ground to remove Treasa McGrath one of a number of players who play inter county football with Tipperary that play their club football with Ballymacarbry after she picked up a serious injury.

Doireann O’Sullivan produced a performance to remember in that game a she finished the game with nine points behind her name of the score sheet, but she did not manage to finish as top scorer in that game, as Sinead Ryan produced an amazing performance at the other end of the field finishing the game with 2-5 behind her name on the score sheet.

Many if not all of the players on show on Sunday afternoon will be known to each other. For the Cork side Meabh O’Sullivan would be expected to start between the posts, with Aisling O’Sullivan, Eimear Meaney and Sandra Conroy in the full back line and Kathryn Coakley, Róisín O’Sullivan and Anna Ryan in the half back line.

Middle of the field in their county final win saw Marie O’Callaghan and Niamh O’Sullivan link up while in attack the Cork champions could be very dangerous as Ciara and Brid O’Sullivan would be expected to feature in the half forward line along with Síle O’Callaghan, while the inside forward line could see Ellie Jack, Doireann O’Sullivan and Noelle Healy feature.

In the world of Gaelic Football lots of talk has taken place in recent years about splitting Dublin in two such is their dominance in the game, something that will never happen, or at least not anytime in the near future.

There has been some joking about Ballymacarbry’s dominance in Waterford in Ladies Football about splitting the team into two or four, something I joined in on myself knowing that those that started the debate were doing so in a bit of banter.

They will come into this game showing some changes to the team that played Mourne Abbey last year, and could well put out the same side which won the County Final last month.

That will mean Lauren Fitzpatrick playing in goal with Muireann Boyce, Michelle McGrath and Maeve Ryan in the full back line with Mairead Wall, Karen McGrath and Laura Mulcahy playing in front of them.

The middle of the field battle could well play a part in who wins this year’s title and in Michelle Ryan and Kelly Anne Hogan Ballymacarbry have two players, one of which has done it all, one of which has a very bright future ahead of her.

In attack Aileen Wall, Brigita Valuntaite who was a sub in last week’s win over Clare side Kilmihil and Louise Ryan would be expected to feature while the inside forward line of Sinead Ryan, Abbie Dalton and Eibhlis Cooney would cause most side problems.

Mourne Abbey’s dominance in Munster in recent years will have to come to an end at some stage, just as Ballymacarbry’s dominance in the past had to come to an end. It will take a good side that will do it, and they won’t need any telling that this is a very good Ballymacarbry side. So will Mourne Abbey’s reign as Munster and All-Ireland Champions come to an end at Bansha on Sunday? I have a feeling that it might.