Stiff Loughgiel challenge lies between Drom and All-Ireland final
CAMOGIE: AIB All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Semi-Final Preview
DROM & INCH v LOUGHGIEL SHAMROCKS
Ashbourne
Saturday, 10th December
Throw-in @ 1.00pm (E.T. & Res)
Referee: Liz Dempsey (Kilkenny)
Excitement is building in Drom & Inch as their senior camogie team prepare to take on Antrim and Ulster champions Loughgiel Shamrocks in Saturday’s eagerly awaited All-Ireland club semi-final.
It will have been four weeks since Drom dethroned Scariff-Ogonnelloe in the Munster final and the players and management alike will be bursting for competitive action again and a chance of a place in the All-Ireland final on Saturday 17th December at Croke Park against either Sarsfields of Galway or St Vincent’s of Dublin who also meet this Saturday in the other semi-final in Birr.
It’s a big task for Drom & Inch with a huge prize on offer. Having tasted defeat to Sarsfields at this stage in the delayed 2020 championship, it has been a driving factor for the whole squad to prove that they can mix it with best with any club in the country.
A second Munster title in four years, won in impressive fashion with a great second half performance, will certainly give them confidence. The impact off the bench all year has been significant, none more so than Katie O’Dwyer’s three points from play against Scariff which has led most observers to feel that the Tipperary champions are in better shape than other years to make a bid for an All-Ireland final spot.
Others who have stood out have been the ever-reliable Aoife McGrath at wing back, captain Mairead Eviston at centre back and Niamh Treacy and Eimear McGrath in attack. McGrath gave a player of the match performance in the county final while her free-taking throughout the year has been exceptional.
Niamh Treacy has proven to be a real goal scoring threat this year and has already notched up a few entries for goal of the year with her individual solo effort in both the county final and Munster semi-final proving crucial.
Drom & Inch won’t be overly familiar with Saturday’s opposition having never played them previously. Many in the club will have memories though of the defeat to O’Donovan Rossa of Antrim in the 2008 All-Ireland Final which was also held in Ashbourne.
While O’Donovan Rossa were the main side in Antrim back then, there’s no doubt Loughgiel’s dominance in a modern context having won their seventh county title in a row in beating Ballycastle. Not for the first time, Róisín McCormick was the star, with a match-winning 2-9, including 1-3 in the opening eight minutes. She will likely start at wing forward and Drom will certainly need to keep a close eye on her.
One week after Drom’s Munster final success, Loughgiel were creating their own history by claiming their first Ulster Senior championship since 2015 as the Antrim champions ended Slaughtneil’s seven-in-a-row bid with a 2-13 to 1-11 win. Roisin McCormick and Caitrin Dobbin both raising green flags in the opening half.
With Slaughtneil having won three All-Ireland titles in recent times there’s no doubting the strength of Ulster club camogie.
With Slaughtneil having comfortably won the 2021 Ulster final, Loughgiel showed great determination to reverse their fortunes and reach Saturday’s All-Ireland semi-final.
With both clubs boasting county players a plenty, shrewd management teams, great tradition and support, Saturday’s semi-final in Ashbourne should be a cracker.