Ladies SFC Final: Can Clonguish stop Longford Slashers completing the five-in-a-row?

Clonguish, managed by Graham Maher along with an experienced backroom team of Niall Kilcrann, James Tormey and Edel O’Malley, will enter the fray as underdogs but they will be quietly confident of causing an upset.

Clonguish can call on a host of current and past county stars and they carry a potent attacking threat but defensive solidity has been evident in their success thus far.

 Clonguish held a capable Killoe side to a mere 3 points from play in the semi-final while they also excelled defensively in the group stage defeat of Carrickedmond.

There is a great balance of youth and experience throughout this Clonguish side and the defence features seasoned campaigners in the Moore sisters and Maria Kelleher. Young starlets Shauna Burke, Hannah Glennon and Ella Duggan add serious pace to the back six. 

Clonguish ended the last dynasty of Longford ladies football when they brought Killoe’s marvellous run to a halt in 2014 and they can still call upon Maria Kelleher as well as the Moore and Darcy sisters from that victory in their quest to repeat history this weekend.

 Those 5 also featured in their last championship success in 2017 but from last year’s final they have lost the experience of Aisling Greene, Oonagh Shanley, Lynn Gregg and Oonagh McGowan.

Clonguish will hope to build on the heartbreak of the one point defeat in last year’s final where they rued a total of 11 wides and they will need their attacking quartet of Ciara Healy, Hannah Burke and the Darcy sisters to be on song if they are to upset the odds.

A Clonguish victory would see them become the joint top holders of the Alison Smyth Cup while Slashers will also be hoping to match Killoe’s record of 5 championships in a row.

The reigning All-Ireland Intermediate champions have only lost two starters from that historic day in Croke Park last December. Wing forwards Kyana Lee and Lisa Nolan are not part of the panel this year.

Grace O’Donnell has been promoted to the starting line up while Meath native Niamh Sheridan has been a welcome addition to the half-back-line this year, allowing the influential Clare Farrell to push forward.

Slashers success is backboned by a bunch of girls that contributed to a marvellous 6 in a row of minor championships and the majority of those girls were still minor when they led their side to the junior crown in 2017. 

9 of the 13 starters from that day will most likely start Saturday’s premier as well as a late young substitute that day; Grace Shannon.

Grace will operate In midfield in the decider, with her two sisters Kate and Kara forming a dangerous attacking  partnership, and they will be crucial to Slashers’ drive for 5. 

The experience of  Aisling Cosgrove at centre-half-forward, along with defenders Orla Nevin and Eimear O’Brien, will also be pivotal for a Slashers victory.

The formidable full-back-line trio of Emily Reilly and the Kenny sisters kept a talented Carrickedmond full-forward-line scoreless from play and they will need to be as relentless in their duty against a Clonguish attack featuring county standard quality.

The clock is ticking all the while towards history but this Longford Slashers side keep adding to the pages of their success story and their refusal to lose should see them claim a historic 5 in a row under the guidance of their manager Conor Clarke and his fellow mentors Bryan Farrell and Shaun Cunningham.

Prediction: Longford Slashers