New All-Ireland Club Champions to be crowned in three grades
Players and mentors from the six participating teams in next weekend’s All-Ireland Ladies Club Football Finals gathered at Croke Park for Captains Day today ahead of the weekend's doubleheader.
There is a doubleheader at Parnell Park on Saturday as Foxrock-Cabinteely (Dublin) and Mourneabbey (Cork) go head-to-head for the Senior title at 5.15pm, before Clontarf (Dublin) and Emmet Óg (Monaghan) clash in the Intermediate Final at 7.30pm.
Both games will be televised LIVE by TG4, while RTÉ Radio 1 will also live broadcast the Senior Final.
On Sunday, it’s the turn of the Junior Finalists, namely Glanmire (Cork) and Tourlestrane (Sligo), who will meet at Duggan Park in Ballinasloe at 2.30pm.
That fixture will be streamed live on the Ladies Gaelic Football Association Facebook page.
For the fourth time in five seasons, Mourneabbey will contest the All-Ireland Ladies Senior Club Final.
The Cork and Munster champions, who have newly-crowned TG4 All Star sisters Ciara and Doireann O’Sullivan in their ranks, lost out in the 2014, 2015 and 2017 Finals, but will hope to make it fourth time lucky.
Their meeting with Foxrock-Cabinteely is a repeat of the 2017 semi-final, which Mourneabbey won after extra-time, before they lost out to Carnacon in the showpiece decider.
Foxrock-Cabinteely, who have a number of Dublin stars in their team, including six-time TG4 All Star Sinéad Goldrick, were beaten finalists against Donaghmoyne (Monaghan) in 2016.
As neither senior Finalist has won the All-Ireland Senior Club title before, a new name will be inscribed on the Dolores Tyrrell Memorial Cup after Saturday’s eagerly-anticipated fixture.
Both teams came through tough semi-finals to make it to Parnell Park, with Foxrock-Cabinteely accounting for Donaghmoyne, while Mourneabbey defeated Kilkerrin-Clonberne on Galway soil.
The Intermediate Club Final pits Dublin against Monaghan, as Clontarf take on Emmet Óg.
In the Junior Final, Glanmire seek to follow in the path of last year’s winners Aghada by bringing the silverware back to Cork.
🎶 It's the most wonderful time of the year!
— Ladies Football (@LadiesFootball) December 4, 2018
📸 We had great fun at Captains Day photoshoot with @sportsfiledfitz and we want to extend a special word of thanks to our friends at @CrokePark for the use of Santa's grotto for photos! 🎅https://t.co/0bYz0eE7wC #LGFAClubs pic.twitter.com/iQOm6bVJij
This is the fourth successive year that a Cork club has contested the All-Ireland Junior Club Final, as Aghada (2017), Kinsale (2016) and Bantry Blues (2015) all appeared on the big day in previous seasons.
For Sligo, Sunday will mark the first time since 2009, when Drumcliffe Rosses Point contested the Junior Final, that a team from the Yeats County has contested an All-Ireland Club decider.
Clontarf, Emmet Óg, Glanmire and Tourlestrane are all first-time All-Ireland Club Finalists.
All-Ireland Ladies Senior Club Final – Foxrock-Cabinteely (Dublin) v Mourneabbey (Cork); Parnell Park, Donnycarney, Dublin, 5.15pm. LIVE TG4/RTÉ Radio 1.
All-Ireland Ladies Intermediate Club Final – Clontarf (Dublin) v Emmet Óg (Monaghan); Parnell Park, Donnycarney, Dublin, 7.30pm. LIVE TG4.
All-Ireland Ladies Junior Club Final – Glanmire (Cork) v Tourlestrane (Sligo); Duggan Park, Ballinasloe, H52K274, 2.30pm. Live Stream on LGFA Facebook page.
