PREVIEW: Can Larries stop Eadestown's push for six Kildare SFC's on the trot?

The decider for the Joe Mallon Motors Kildare LGFA Senior Football Championship is set for Friday, October 3 in Cedral St Conleth’s Park and it is a repeat 2024 final with Eadestown and St Laurence’s facing off once again. One key upgrade is the venue with this game now getting a deserved outing in the new stadium.

Eadestown, who are now aiming for sixth Kildare SFC title in a row, came out well in top in the 2024 final with a 5-15 to 0-6 win. 24 points is a mighty amount of ground to make up but the shift in power of the Kildare ladies panel may have aided Larries’ development in that time.

The hiring of Waterford man Pat Sullivan meant wholesale squad changes and Larries have seen a significant increase in the playing contingent which was sent out for county action including three Wheelers with Emma, Ciara, and Gillian all joining up with The Lilies. Kildare went up another level this year and St Laurences players taking part in games like an All-Ireland Senior Championship Quarter- Final against the then holding champions can only benefit the club side when they return from intercounty action.

One feature of Sullivan’s Kildare was their adaptability and at times organised rigidity against superior teams. A similar type of solidity may be necessary for Larries in this game and attempting to keep things tight could be one of their few routes to victory. On paper, an open game only benefits the holders with their expansive attacking options and clinical eye for goal, who are more than likely to leap through any holes in a wayward backline. Eadestown have grabbed three goals in each of their last two games.

Conversely, hyper-negativity and full concession of the ball would mean scores will be hard to come by and that particular catch-22 is what makes and breaks Championship winning teams and managers. Regardless of how St Laurence’s choose to approach this mammoth task, a bright start will be imperative.

On the attacking side of the ledger for St Laurence’s, they are driven forward by Wicklow star Marie Kealy, who hit an unbelievable 1-6 of her side’s 1-11 tally in their Semi-Final clash with Sarsfields. Kealy’s influence means that St Laurences and Eadestown come into this final on similar scoring form with Larries having hit 5-19 in their last two while Eadestown have registered 6-18, although the champs boast a better defensive record in that time.

One absentee from Kildare action this year was former captain Grace Clifford who took time off from duty to start a family. Clifford wasn’t going to let 2025 go though and has made a superhuman return to fitness and football to play for Eadestown in this year’s championship. Clifford grabbed a goal from centre-forward in the champions 3-6 to 0-5 win over Kilcullen in this year’s Semi-Final meeting. The former Kildare skipper’s ability on the ball is matched by her ability off it and her value in a game of this magnitude is immeasurable. The club legend is always the go-to player in tough situations, be it when the sting needs to be taken out of a game or if pressure needs to be mounted at the other end, Grace Clifford is the one they all look to.

Another figure missing from county action this year was Gráinne Kenneally after she retired from intercounty action with her adopted Kildare. The reduced schedule has only benefitted the forward however and she has had an outstanding year for her club and top-scored in their Semi-Final win over Kilcullen with 2-3.

Quieter in that particular fixture but another threat that Larries will be well aware of is Abaigh Cahill. She terrorised the losing finalists in 2024 and hit 3-6 in a final performance for the ages with Larries failing to lay a glove on the tricky forward.

Returning to the point of how Larries may approach this game, too much space for Cahill and this game could be over in double-quick time.

Much like the Naas team’s going for five-in-a-row and seven-in-a-row in their respective male codes, Eadestown will again be looking to make a mark in Leinster after being the outstanding candidate for success in their county and reaching the final in 2025. All three teams will dismiss the notion that they are looking beyond any county finals but the fact remains that their ambitions have grown higher than Kildare in light of recent dominance.

How that pertains to this game is that Eadestown will need to, like in 2024, put down a marker against Larries while the underdogs seek to spoil the party. Though this writer is expecting a closer fixture this time around with improvements made in Larries’ approach, it is hard to see beyond Eadestown making it six-in-a-row and continuing their legacy as one of the finest ladies teams to ever come out of Kildare.

Prediction: Eadestown

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