Rovers hoping it’s third time lucky against youthful Borris

CAMOGIE: FBD Insurance County Intermediate Championship Final Preview

By Thomas Conway

BORRIS-ILEIGH v SHANNON ROVERS

Camogie grounds, The Ragg

Saturday, 29th October

Throw-in @ 2.30pm

Borris-Ileigh and Shannon Rovers are chasing a place at senior level for 2023 when they meet the County Intermediate Camogie Championship final on Saturday.

For Shannon Rovers, they will be hoping to make it third time lucky after being defeated in the past two years finals. In 2020, they suffered the wrath of a Thurles Sarsfields side practically glowing with youthful energy and ambition. Last year, Knockavilla Kickhams swept past the Rovers to secure their place in the senior ranks, prompting questions as to whether the Ballinderry club would ever smash the glass ceiling and become a senior club

It is worth noting however, that on neither occasion were Rovers favourites. Next weekend’s clash against Borris-Ileigh is a far more open and decidedly less predictable affair.

The final defeats of 2020 and 2021 represent one element of the story of Shannon Rovers in recent years. The club has gone from strength to strength. It has proudly defied demographic logic with its soaring playing numbers and booming support-base.

The intermediate side has consistently punched above its weight, playing an intelligent and expansive brand of camogie which is as entertaining as it is effective. But the general sentiment down in Ballinderry is unmistakable. Rovers have been on the brink of securing senior status for two consecutive years now. It is time they finally made that leap.

Shannon Rovers captain Aoife McLoughney adores her club. Were it to achieve promotion to the senior ranks, it would represent the culmination of a long-held dream for the 33-year-old teacher. McLoughney should, in theory, be nervous. And yet she isn't. The years have brought her a sense of perspective, an inclination that she might as well cherish moments like these, because they may not come around again.

“I don’t tend to get nervous before games,” she said.

“I’m nearly old enough or that at the stage whereby I kind of look at a game like a county final and say, do you know what, I don’t have many of these big games left.

“For example, I turned around to Sabrina Larkin after the last game and I just said: one more Sabrina, if we can get through one more game! Somebody asked me in the dressing-room before the semi-final was I nervous? And I thought about it for a second and I wasn’t. I was really looking forward to it.

“Even in terms of the captaincy, I don’t see that as a burden or as an extra pressure, I take it as a huge honour. Ever since I was young, I would always have dreamed of captaining Shannon Rovers in a county final. That, to me, is a huge honour.”

Few players are as candid and eloquent as McLoughney. She speaks about her team with a feeling of devotion, and she talks about Tipperary camogie with a similar sense of adoration.

The game, she feels, is in rude health across the county. Somewhat like the senior championship, this year’s intermediate competition has been fiercely competitive. Both semi-finals were compelling affairs. Rovers squeezed past Newport/Ballinahinch (which had beaten them earlier in the year). Borris-Ileigh required two periods of extra-time to vanquish Kilruane MacDonaghs. The games served as a reflection of the championship as a whole, as McLoughney suggests.

“This year, in the intermediate championship, is probably the first year that every team went into the competition fairly even, with a realistic chance of winning it,” she said.

“Like, two years ago, Thurles were always going to win that county final, and then last year Knockavilla were absolutely hammering everybody they came up against the whole through the campaign. It was only in the semi-final that they got a bit of a scare.

“Whereas this year, it has been a very level championship. I think everybody kind of had a feeling that they could go on and win it. So, everybody’s confidence has been high, and but I think that’s what most people want. You want that competitive edge in any championship.”

The Shannon Rovers captain openly admits that Rovers were stung by the defeats of 2020 and 2021. They've promised themselves that this year will be different. They want to deliver an honest performance. Winning would be sweet, especially for players such as McLoughney and Sabrina Larkin, who have served the club with such distinction over the years.

Neither have plans to retire any time soon, but both have enough experience and maturity to realise that Sunday’s final represents a precious opportunity. Given their blend of raw talent and fine-tuned experience,

Shannon Rovers cannot spend forever floating about the intermediate ranks. This Sunday could be their moment, and surely there is no better woman than McLoughney to lead them home.

Borris-Ileigh

Sprawled across two periods of nail-biting extra-time and coloured by endless drama, Borris-Ileigh’s semi-final clash with Kilruane MacDonaghs was one of those epic titanic tussles which make club championship Gaelic games so special. The match took 104 minutes to complete. It produced six goals and 25 points, with Borris finally emerging as victors 2-17 to 4-8. Players were collapsing with fatigue at the final whistle. Kilruane were distraught. Borris-Ileigh elated.

The maroons have now had almost two weeks to recover, yet this weekend’s county final against Shannon Rovers could require them to go to similar lengths, both physically and emotionally.

Their captain, Aedin Hogan, doesn’t think that will be a problem. The trainee teacher admits that her side are comparatively young and lack experience of the big occasion, but she firmly believes that Borris can do it. Rather than dwell excessively on winning or losing, Hogan is preaching a different message to her teammates. She wants them to go out and relish the experience, to cherish the moment.

“We’re quite a young team and we’re probably inexperienced,” she admitted.

“We have fairly small numbers on our panel as well. So, leading up to the game, we will just try and stay as tightly knit as we can.

“Shannon Rovers are obviously very used to games like these - this is their third county final in a row, and they have a massive squad there as well.

“But we just have to focus on enjoying the occasion, on being part of it. We’ve already made progress on last year, when we lost at the semi-final stage, and obviously we want to win, but we also want to enjoy the day.”

There is no doubting it. Shannon Rovers are the favourites to win this game. They have been hanging around the intermediate championship for too long now, and while their past two final appearances haven’t materialised as planned, there is a newfound confidence amongst their players.

Borris-Ileigh, however, are a proud camogie force. It isn’t that long since the club was playing senior, they played in the 2016 final, and Hogan expresses a clear desire to secure top-tier status once again.

The team is balanced and capable. It also benefited from a number of new additions this season, following the promotion of several younger players and the return of Teresa Ryan to her usual midfield berth. The squad has been energised. The team has been playing well.

Like her Shannon Rovers counterpart, the Borris-Ileigh captain maintains that the health of Tipperary camogie has never been as robust. The intermediate championship has delivered numerous twists, and Borris have prospered from a slew of competitive games. But they aren’t playing just to compete, as Hogan intimates. Borrisoleigh believe they can win this championship outright.

“Tipp camogie is in a great place,” she said.

“Every game we have played this year has been tough, I know it has been the same across the whole championship. There has been nothing between any of the teams. Just look at the two semi-finals. It’s definitely been the tightest county championship that I’ve ever been part of. So, to get to a final is an achievement in itself. But I’ve actually never ever won anything with my club before, so to lift that trophy really would be unreal, and I think we can do it.”

Shannon Rovers will not fall without a fight. If Borris-Ileigh want to win this game, they will have to summon as much energy and ability as they demonstrated in the semi-final victory over Kilruane. It will not be easy. They are the underdogs, but they know how to upset the odds. This time however, it might just prove a step too far. Verdict: Shannon Rovers