THE MAKINGS Knockananna and Donard-The
IT’S not exaggeration to state that the Senior camogie final between defending champions Knockananna and challengers Donard-The Glen has the potential to be a superb contest between two willing and able teams who both have equally important yet radically different motives for securing the coveted crown.
For Tom Byrne’s side, there’s a three-in-a-row up for grabs. Some might dismiss it as irrelevant, some might say it’s a distraction, but it would be foolish to suggest that such an achievement is not a driving force for a talented bunch of players, many of whom are have been at the pinnacle of ladies football and camogie in the county for the last number of years.
For Donard-The Glen, the opportunity to spoil Knockananna’s three-in-a-row dream and gain revenge for the Carlow border club doing exactly that to them in 2016 will certainly whet the appetite for battle come 4.30pm on Saturday afternoon in Baltinglass.
It’s a new-look Donard-The Glen side this season with the loss of several players to emigration and injury. Captain Kelly O’Neill says that the team have had to stand up and get along without players such as her own two sisters who emigrated after last season and that the county title is there for them if they want it.
‘We’ll be driving on for those who wish they could be playing, and we want to make sure we get the cup back for them. Knockananna took a three-in-a-row from us so we are not going to let them do it. Everyone is driving us on for this journey and it’s there for us if we really want it,’ said Kelly.
O’Neill’s confidence and desire for a championship win under her watch is undeniable and her assured tone is justified given that she has guided her team to four championship victories and no defeats in this campaign, including a comprehensive victory over a somewhat depleted Knockananna side in Knockananna in the league section of the competition.
According to Kelly there’s a renewed sense of potential within the Donard-the Glen camp under Clare native Camin Kiely. The Donard-the Glen captain expresses regret at the one-point loss to their county final opponents in the Senior league decider earlier in the year but pure passion oozes from the Donard-The Glen leader as she speaks of thwarting their attempts at a three-in-a-row.