All-Ireland Colleges Senior A Camogie final

Saturday 2pm in Darvar GAA Centre Co Louth

Loreto Kilkenny v Cross and Passion Ballycastle

By Seamus Mcaleenan

Defending champions Loreto Kilkenny are appearing in their seventh All-Ireland Schools’ senior final since first making the break-through in 2010. They have won five titles from their previous six appearances, the only blip being a 2-6 to 0-9 defeat by Connacht champions Seamount College Kinvara in 2016.

Add in that they have won nine of the last ten Junior (under 16) titles including a 3-11 to 2-9 win over Cross and Passion Ballycastle last year.

By contrast CPC are appearing in their first senior title and last year’s Junior final was only their second, ten years on from their successful debut in 2008 when they beat St Raphael’s Gort by a three points’ margin.

Both finalists were convincing semi-final winners four weeks ago, Kilkenny defeating St Brigid’s Loughrea by 4-17 to 2-4 and Ballycastle comfortable on a 4-10 to 3-4 score-line despite having midfielder Bronagh McKeague red-carded with 20 minutes to go.

Happily that red-card has been rescinded and the tall McQuillan’s club player can fit back into the team for the final where she has been one of the top performers this year.

In the Ulster campaign she was part of a strong half-back line with Catherine McShane and captain Finvola McVeigh, but illness to centre-forward Méádhbh McCormick meant that her younger sister Roisin moved up front and McKeague took over in midfield for a strong pairing with club-mate Maeve Kelly.

Roisin McCormick, a prodigious under-age talent in Antrim, was the star of the semi-final with a personal tally of 3-5 and it will be interesting to see where the Loughgiel girl plays in the final. She was back in midfield for the county minor win over Kildare a fortnight ago and scored 0-6.

Despite being geographically so distant both teams will be familiar with each other, having met in the past two Junior campaigns. A win for Loreto in both – but they had to fight for it.

The Kilkenny city side that draws from a wide range of clubs in the county, have a talented forward line with the Kelly sisters, Steffi Fitzgerald, Jane Cass and Ruth Kent all prolific scorers.

It will be the biggest test that the Ballycastle defence has faced to date and probably more pressure on their full-back line than usual.

However Cross and Passion are a strong overall team. Eight of the semi-final starting side have featured for Loughgiel, winning back to back All-Ireland Féile na nGael titles, the only Ulster club to achieve this feat.

Six more are from the local McQuillan’s team who were minor county champions last year, while the odd-one-out Dearbhail Magill was in brilliant form for the Antrim minor team in their opening championship game against Armagh.

CPC have a mountain to climb though, given the experience and recent record of their opponents – but they will travel south knowing that there has been little between the teams over the last couple of years and that a short run of scores could take them into a winning position.