LADIES FOOTBALL JOINS the championship party this weekend.
Not that you’d really know. The build-up has been subdued, to say the least. That seems to be the nature of the split season. Onwards.
Provincial fare gets underway in Leinster and Munster, and naturally, most eyes will be on the All-Ireland champions.
Dublin open their bid for an 11th consecutive Leinster title against high-flying Kildare at Parnell Park tomorrow. There will be some talk of their dominance in the province, as always, but nowhere near the amount of noise and column inches dedicated to their male counterparts.
But the Leinster ladies football championship could be more competitive than ever this year. Kildare are up from intermediate, and they recently won the Division 2 league title to boot. Could they emulate the respective rises of Meath and Kerry?
The Royals will be in the mix too, under the new management of Shane McCormack. Provincial senior glory is about all the 2021 and 2022 All-Ireland champions haven’t managed in recent years, and they’ll be hoping to bounce back from consecutive final defeats at the hands of their rivals.
And then there’s Laois. The 2022 All-Ireland intermediate champions endured a torrid league campaign. They were relegated to Division 3, but will hope to muster a challenge in Leinster.
Dublin had a decent league run, just missing out on a Division 1 final spot. They lost to Kerry and Meath early on, but moved through the gears with wins over Mayo, Galway, Waterford, Cork and Armagh. Mick Bohan’s side finished with a 7-10 to 1-4 victory over the Orchard county, but the eventual champions fielded a significantly weakened team.
The Sky Blues, meanwhile, were moulding their championship outfit: Carla Rowe and Hannah Tyrrell leading the charge across a spread of 10 scorers; Leah Caffrey, Martha Byrne, Jennifer Dunne and the returning Olwen Carey also playing key roles; and Sinéad Aherne featuring off the bench.
Dunne’s AFLW colleague Sinéad Goldrick is also back on board in a major boost, while Nicole Owens is another big name returnee.
And then there’s the new blood: Niamh Crowley and Niamh Donlon are among those to have established themselves as key players during the changing of the guard. Of last year’s All-Ireland final panel, 11 of the 30 made their senior inter-county debuts that season.
Newcomers have really stepped up in the absence of retired and departed stars, and it’s a cliché, but they have a really nice blend of youth and experience.
Last year, Dublin timed their run to perfection. They licked their wounds after a disappointing 2022 All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Donegal through the league, winning five and losing two as they finished third.
They were pushed close by Meath, but reigned supreme in Leinster once more before a setback against Kerry in their All-Ireland series opener.
“We were bullied,” Bohan reflected on that 2-8 to 1-9 defeat at Parnell Park, but they recovered under the radar. They swatted Cavan aside before powering to convincing quarter- and semi-final wins over Donegal and Cork. And, in truth, they dominated Kerry in the decider. They hit the ground running, and the gap could have been much more than five at the finish.
Whether they can follow a similar path this year remains to be seen, but they appear to be in a good position for their latest assault.
It’s shaping up to be a brilliant summer, with the playing field more level than ever in recent seasons. We’re a long way from the days of complete Cork or Dublin dominance.
Or that duopoly, with Cork’s struggles underlined by their recent league relegation.
Armagh look to be in great shape after their historic success, while Kerry will be intent on bouncing back from that defeat and making it third time lucky in their pursuit of the Brendan Martin Cup.
The rest of the chasing pack is interesting, though a lot of teams have been inconsistent.
Write anyone off at your peril, including Dublin’s next opponents, who will be looking to make a splash.
We should learn a little more when Kildare pitch up at Parnell Park tomorrow.
Welcome to the party.
LGFA provincial championship fixtures
Saturday 20 April
Munster Senior Championship – Round 1
- Kerry v Tipperary; Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney, 1.45pm.
- Waterford v Cork; Fraher Field, Dungarvan, 3.45pm.
Munster Senior B
- Cork v Kerry; Cloughduv, 1pm.
Sunday 21 April
Leinster Senior Championship – Round 1
- Dublin v Kildare; Parnell Park, 2pm.
- Meath v Laois; Páirc Tailteann, 2pm.
TG4 Leinster Intermediate Championship – Round 1
- Westmeath v Offaly; St Lomans (3G) Mullingar, 2pm.
- Wexford v Wicklow; Starlights/Rapparees GAA, Bellefield, Enniscorthy, 2pm.
TG4 Leinster Junior Championship – Round 1
- Carlow v Louth; SETU Carlow (Main Campus), 2pm.
- Kilkenny v Longford; MW Hire Training Centre, Dunmore, 2pm.
TG4 Ulster Intermediate Championship – Round 1
- Down v Cavan; John Martins GFC, 2pm.
