You are Here: Home>Sections>Ladies Football>News & Events

Printer Friendly Version of this Page   Contact Us   SiteMap

S Furlong, C Barrett, K Murphy & E Kelly in League Semi-Final this Saturday - Thu, 16 Apr 2009

Best of Luck to Sorcha Furlong, Colleen Barrett, Katie Murphy & Elaine Kelly & the Dublin Ladoes Footballers this Saturday. The Dublin Ladies Footballers face Cork in the League Semi-Final. Its sure to be tough game with Cork the current All-Ireland Champions. Dublin have already beaten Cork this year & have a 100% league record. Throw-in at 1.30pm in Thurles. The game is also live on TG4 if you can't make it down.

Preview:

Cork and Dublin should produce another 'Special Brew' in Saturday's Bord Gais Energy National League Division 1 semi-final. It's in Semple Stadium (1.45). The Dublin Under-21 footballers are on the same bill. "It would be brilliant if the Dublin following could get there early to cheer on the girls," says Dublin PRO Finbarr O'Driscoll. The Jackies are chasing history. They have never been in a Division 1 league final. Cork are the most celebrated team in the land. Last season they took the double. But the Blues know how to unlock the Leeside door. They have done it twice recently. Last year, the Dubs beat Cork in Mallow, and last month they pipped them in a Portmarnock thriller. That was when Dublin were on their way to an 100pc record in the league. And they beat a good Cork side. "We couldn't have asked for a tougher game, but if you want to improve yourself, playing against the best is the only way to do it," muses Dublin boss Gerry McGill.

Gerry's Girls have made excellent progress. Rising from Division 2, reaching the quarter-final of last year's Championship and now, with an unbeaten tag, in the semi-final of the top league. Jim Kilty's homework has paid off handsomely. But they'll have to stretch for the stars if they are to defeat the vaunted Rebels. Dublin had a point to spare against them in Portmarnock. For the latter stages of that contest, Dublin were operating with 13 players after two of their number were sin-binned. Lyndsey Davey's goal proved crucial, while, as ever, Sinead Ahern's haul was a generous one -- seven points, two from play. Dublin's chief cashiers will again have to be humming this weekend. Fiona Corcoran got through a huge amount of work in that contest, but Fiona has now withdrawn from the panel. A supreme athlete, she's a big loss.

Denise Masterson and Parnells' Niamh McEvoy also know all about the toil of the engine room, while Dublin's defence has been their cement all season. Ailish McKenna, Sorcha Furlong and Siobhan McGrath have all had their moments, and there's plenty of experience surrounding them. Cork's calibre includes Juliet Murphy, Nollaig Cleary, Mary O'Connor and Valerie Mulcahy, who converted the sweetest of penalties at Mearnóg. You can't afford to be giving footballers of that quality too many slices of cake and, despite the win against them in Portmarnock, the Dublin manager expressed his concern about Dubs giving away too much possession in the second half.

He's not worried about taking to the road, especially after wins this term in Monaghan, Galway and Armagh. Last week's quarter-final success in Lurgan didn't come free with the packet of corn flakes. But, as Gerry keeps on saying, it's all a work in progress. This team will be judged when all the pounds and pence of the Championship campaign are totted up. But it would be nice to topple Cork again, and even nicer to be in a Division 1 final. Two wins against Cork this term would make good reading going into the Championship.

Return To Previous Page