WITH nearly all hurling and Camogie championships at their conclusion, the football will take centre stage for the next number of weeks with the tail end of those championships.
This weekend we have the Limerick Senior Football semi-finals (Preview), the Ladies Football final and the Intermediate football semi-finals.
Below we preview the Ladies final and IFC semi-final clashes.
Limerick Ladies Football Final
Monagea v St Ailbes
Sunday in Knockaderry at 3.30pm
In a repeat of the 2019 decider, champions St Ailbes meet Monagea. For Monagea, they will be desperate to make up for last weekend’s county camogie final defeat with a number of players representing Newcastle that day.
Ailbe’s will be gunning for a repeat of last years final where the sides played out a classic in Bruff.
After over 70 minutes of play, there was just a point to separate the sides with Ailbe’s getting the last score of the game in the 10th minute of injury time to win out 3-8 to 3-7.
Monagea had won the title in 2018 after beating Ballylanders in the final and repeated the trick this year as they overcame the south side 3-6 to 2-4 to reach the decider. St Ailbes on the other hand proved too strong for St Brigids as they won out 2-11 to 2-4 in their last four tie.
It promises to be another even but exciting tie.
The Intermediate final will act as a curtain raiser to the Senior decider with Mungret St Pauls facind Drom Broadford. 12 months ago Mungret lost out in the decider to Old Mill and reached the final this time around with a hard fought 1-9 to 0-8 win over Murroe Boher.
Drom were very impressive in their 2-12 to 1-6 win over Oola in their semi-final with a brilliant encounter in store at 12.30pm Sunday for those lucky enough to attend.
Intermediate Football Semi-Finals
Mungret St Pauls v Gerald Griffins
Sunday in Askeaton at 12pm
The first of the IFC semi-finals throws in early on Sunday as last year’s finalists Gerald Griffins take on Mungret St Pauls. Incidentally both of these sides were knocked out by Galtee Gaels last year with Mungret losing out in extra time in the semi finals while Gerald Griffins fell after a replay.
Mungret were the victors when these sides met in the group stages last year as the city side won out 3-10 to 0-13 in Mick Neville Park
They are two of the form teams in the championship with three wins from three for both, as they looked impressive throughout. Mungret’s hunger for goals has been a real feature of Pa Ranahan’s side as they plundered 8 in the group stages and a further four in their 4-11 to 1-11 win over Glin in the quarter-finals.
Gerald Griffins have been more cautious in their play but equally impressive, especially in their quarter-final win over Rathkeale where they lead from pillar to post in a 1-12 to 0-7 win.
Griffin’s experience of 2019 should stand to them but the Mungret team will hope to follow in their hurler’s footsteps as they got over their respective semi-final earlier this year.
St Senans v Claughaun
Tuesday in Caherdavin at 8pm
The final line up wont be completed until Tuesday evening with the meeting of St Senans and Claughaun.
St Senans will be looking for immediate promotion after being relegated from the SFC in 2019 after failing to pick up a win. Claughaun on the other hand will be looking to go one better than last year when they lost to Gerald Griffins in the semi-finals.
These sides met twice in the 2017 championship with the West side coming out on top on both occasions, one being the semi-final as Senans earned promotion to the Senior Ranks. They won the first round group game 1-11 to 1-9 before winning out 4-12 to 2-6 in the semis.
Claughaun are looking to appear in a third IFC since their relegation from the Senior ranks in 2010. They lost finals in 2012 to Pallasgreen and Oola in 2015. St Senans will be hopeful of booking a place in a fourth Intermediate final since 2014. They lost to Na Piarsaigh in 2014 before falling to Adare two years later. They overcame Galbally in the 2017 decider.
St Senans will enter the game as favourites but there shouldn’t be more than a kick of the ball between the teams.
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