Above – Maria O’Neill in action during Antrim’s semi-final win over Sligo
TG4 LGFA All-Ireland Junior Final Preview
By: Niall Kelly
Maria O’Neill is a vital cog in the Antrim machine. After initially entering the panel at the end of the 2021 season, the Naomh Ergnait gael has been part of the Saffron teams who have now reached three of the last six All-Ireland Junior Finals. This year, she has been in scintillating form, notching an incredible 11 goals and 16 points so far in this Championship campaign. Not only has she been Antrim’s leading sharpshooter, but she also leads the charge for the coveted ‘Golden Boot’ award.
During their testing tussle in the semi-final with Sligo, O’Neill’s eye for goal was the difference, bagging a hat-trick and contributing a further five points for good measure. It would be fair to say that the prolific forward could have a huge sway on Sunday’s outcome.
Despite her individual success on a scoring front, O’Neill is exceptionally humble and has heaped praise on her teammates for providing the fulcrum for her to add the finishing touches.
“To be honest, I’ve just been caught on the end of a few scores this year because in the last few games I have been playing full forward. But a lot of the scores I’ve managed to get this year are a reflection of the effort that is put in everywhere else across the pitch. All the turnovers that the girls have battled for and the great passes into me so I feel I can’t really take the full credit.”
Last year’s defeat to Louth in the final was surely a bitter pill to swallow. However, the Moneyglass native sees it as a learning curve and something which can help motivate and inspire them to go one further this year.
“We were really disappointed in how we performed in that game against Louth. It wasn’t how we had performed throughout the rest of that season, it wasn’t a reflection of our capabilities as a team. We were slow to get started and then maybe a bit of nerves kicked in especially when we fell behind, we weren’t used to trailing and it maybe caught a lot of us off guard. I suppose we are looking to go back on Sunday to Croke Park and show everybody exactly what we are capable of.”
O’Neill is no stranger to Croke Park, making her sixth appearance on Sunday and is hoping that her exposure to this setting will help calm the inevitable nerves a little against Carlow.
“I think given how grand the stage is, there will always be a wee bit of butterflies. It is a massive day, you want to play your best and perform on the day. At the same time, though after the last few visits, you’re a bit more familiarised with the layout of the day, the tunnel, the size of the pitch, the surface itself, which is an absolute carpet by the way.”
However, Carlow will present as a tricky proposition, something which O’Neill is fully aware of.
“They are doing what we did last year, going undefeated into the final. So I’m sure they will be determined not to make the same mistake that we did. They are a good side so we need to be ready. We are also determined not to make the same mistakes we did in last year’s final so it’ll be a good game”
Fingers crossed that Maria can continue her rich vein of scoring form to help propel Antrim to glory on Sunday and perhaps also take home a very prestigious individual accolade, in the form on the Golden Boot, in the process!