Ladies Division 4 Final Preview- Carlow v Limerick; 2pm – Live on Spórt TG4 YouTube – https://bit.ly/4cGZQqK THE general consensus was that Fermanagh and Leitrim would be playing in Saturday’s Lidl National League Division 4 semi-final – but Carlow and Limerick were determined to rip up the script. When the dust settled on the group […]
Ladies Division 4 Final Preview- Carlow v Limerick; 2pm – Live on Spórt TG4 YouTube – https://bit.ly/4cGZQqK
THE general consensus was that Fermanagh and Leitrim would be playing in Saturday’s Lidl National League Division 4 semi-final – but Carlow and Limerick were determined to rip up the script.
When the dust settled on the group phase of the competition, Fermanagh were top of the pile on 19 points, followed by Leitrim on 18, and Limerick and Carlow on 11.
That left Fermanagh to play Carlow in the semi-finals, with Leitrim up against Limerick.
Leitrim were left disappointed by defeat in last year’s Division 4 Final against Antrim, when promotion was the big prize for the winners, while Fermanagh had lost out to Leitrim at the semi-final stage.
Ahead of the recent last-four clashes, Fermanagh and Leitrim were big favourites but Carlow and Limerick performed heroics to win and secure promotion to Division 3 for 2025.
Maeve O’Neill scored a last gasp winning goal as Carlow claimed a dramatic victory over Fermanagh, with Iris Kennelly striking a late, late goal for Limerick as they got the better of Leitrim in another wonderful finish to that game.
Now, both of Saturday’s Finalists can enjoy the occasion and the expectation is that this will be a tight game.
The counties met in Round 7 of the group phase and that game resulted in a two-point victory for Limerick.
Deborah Murphy led the way with 1-3 for Limerick and she’s one of Limerick’s leading attacking lights, along with the likes of top scorer Kennelly, and Caoimhe McGrath.
There’s been a good spread of scorers throughout the Limerick team to date and that should stand them in good stead.
Carlow are in a similar position and they have Clíodhna Ní Shé, a wonderfully talented player now fully recovered from previous injury issues, leading the line up front.
Rachel Sawyer and Sarah Doyle are other forwards of genuine quality who have chipped in with key scores for the Barrowsiders.
These are two counties who will harbour high hopes, too, of making real inroads in the summer’s TG4 All-Ireland Junior Championship.
Limerick were beaten Finalists last year but have managed to erase that disappointment with a sense of renewed focus in 2024.
Carlow, for their part, have been knocking around the penultimate stages of the All-Ireland series in recent years without success but perhaps this League breakthrough will provide a Championship springboard.
There’s nothing quite like snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and that’s a feeling both Carlow and Limerick experienced in their League semi-finals.
Now, they can march forward with real optimism and victory for either side here will provide another huge confidence boost.
Carlow are sailing into uncharted territory, getting ready for a very first Division 4 Final, while Limerick have previous experience of winning this competition, back in 2016.
The Munster outfit will be conscious, however, of the fact that they’ve suffered defeat in the 2022, 2015, 2012 and 2010 Finals, as they prepare for their sixth fourth tier decider.
Unlike last year, when only the winners would be promoted, there’s less pressure on both teams in that sense as they get ready to do battle.
But knowing the competitive spirit that exists within both camps, defeat in a national Final won’t be countenanced in the respective dressing rooms ahead of throw-in.
Carlow: N Hanley; A Carroll, A Roche, S McCullagh; R Berminghan (capt.), N Murphy, N Forde; E Hayden, R Bailey; B Nolan, R Sawyer, S Doyle; E Molloy, E Coogan, C Ní Shé.
Limerick: C Bateman; J McGuire, Y Lee, F Bradshaw; G Lee, C Mee, M MacNamara; R Ambrose (capt.), L Ryan; K O’Leary, D Murphy, K Heelan; E Woulfe, A O’Sullivan, I Kennelly.
