All-Ireland Colleges Camogie Senior ‘B’ final: Mercy College Roscommon v Colaiste Mhuire, Johnstown on Saturday at St Rynagh’s GAA Grounds, Banagher at 12 noon
After the dramatic drawn and replayed semi-finals against Our Lady’s Terenure, Mercy College Roscommon have a chance of All-Ireland glory when they face Kilkenny side Colaiste Mhuire of Johnstown on Saturday in the decider in Banagher.
Seven points up going into injury-time in the drawn game, the Roscommon town side coughed up two goals and a point to see almost certain victory snatched away from them.
In the replay in Dublin on Wednesday of last week, the Roscommon girls once again built up a handsome lead only to see Terenure make another comeback. However this time Mercy College held firm and emerged winners by 3-11 to 4-4.
Laura McSharry, Siofra Hession and Alannah Sutton were the Roscommon goalscorers in the replay as victory was assured with a strong defensive display late on.
There has been a big improvement in camogie standards at underage level in Roscommon over the last couple of years and this Mercy College team is part of that upward curve. They have some top class performers.
The Roscommon school have many excellent players who will line out on Saturday and they will be hoping that their leading lights such as goalkeeper Molly Finneran, Grace Geraghty, Lily Murray, Kaitlin Egan, Hazel Kenny, Siofra Hession and Laura McSharry can inspire the rest of the team on the day.
While I haven’t seen Colaiste Mhuire, Johnstown play, it is clear that they are a talented side, but if the Roscommon girls can get a couple of early scores they could create a shock.
Mercy Roscommon panel: Molly Finneran, Maria Bolger, Mia White, Anna Hussey, Ciara Killeen, Grace Geraghty, Eve Connaughton, Lily Murray, Kaitlin Egan, Alannah Sutton, Hazel Kelly, Siofra Hession, Laura McSharry, Tara O’Brien, Katie Kenny, Molly Tully, Sarah Jane O’Connor, Ella Lynch, Niamh Dawson, Shauna Walsh, Alanna McCormack, Isabel Kenny, Rachel Campbell, Ciara Corrigan, Moira Delaney, Grace Campbell, Aoife Connolly, Sarah Reilly, Ruth King, Aisling Faughnan, Iona Hanley, Eve McNeill.
Joint managers
Teresa Hession & Martin McManus
‘Competitive semi-finals will bring us on’
Mercy College are managed by Teresa Hession and Martin McManus. I spoke to Martin this week as preparations continued for the big game this Saturday.
“Firstly, we are under no illusions about the standard of the opposition that we are meeting in the final. Johnstown beat their Cork opponents in the semi-final and we know how strong camogie is in Kilkenny.
“Having said that, the two competitive matches we had in the semi-final will stand to us and we have a very united group here that will battle all the way.”
McManus reflected on the dramatic semi-final games that have seen Mercy College into the decider.
“We were disappointed to have let that seven-point lead slip against Terenure in the drawn game. We felt we were much the better team that day overall. But we held the Terenure number 11 (Helen Duignan) who was their main threat well in the replay and we were the deserved winners in the end.”
He says that the final is a great chance for the Roscommon team to show what they can do.
“We have no injuries and a full panel to pick from and we will relish this challenge on Saturday. A lot of people might say that it’s Roscommon against Kilkenny and the gap in standard is too wide but we feel we have a great chance and we are all looking forward to it” he concluded.
