All we knew is that Glencar Manorhamilton & St Joseph's will test each other to the limit in Sweeney Oil LGFA SFC Final

If at the start of the 2025 Sweeney Oil Leitrim LGFA Senior Championship, it seemed as if we would end up exactly where we are now with Glencar Manorhamilton defending their title against St Joseph's, it does not mean that there isn't an air of intrigue about next Saturday's Final in Heartland Credit Union Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada (2.30 pm throw-in).

Manor and Joseph's are appearing in their third senior decider in a row so the air of mystery between these teams should be long gone but all I've heard this year is that the defending champions might just be vulnerable, particularly after the loss of Ailbhe Clancy.

To a certain extent, the whispers are right as you can't but not feel the loss of a crucial player like Clancy but the stats don't seem to bear that out - Glencar Manorhamilton are unbeaten once again through the group stages, ending up with the best defence and the best attack - their scoring difference of plus 42 points dwarfs the other five teams who, combined, have a scoring difference of minus 42!

On paper, that should mean a slam dunk for Glencar Manor but St Joseph's are the one team they have struggled to put away, particularly in finals, in recent years. Even their group game clash is misleading, St Joseph's putting the champs under severe pressure at home in Boggaun.

There were just two points between the teams when Joe's lost chief freetaker Kate Gormley and then, with eight minutes left, keeper Sarah Greene also had to depart with injury as Muireann Devaney scored two late goals to put a gloss on the scoreline.

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The Champions have had their challenges at times - Ballinamore, St Francis, St Mary's and Joes all put them under huge pressure at times but Glencar Manor always seem to find a way to tough it out, perhaps their greatest quality.

It helps when you have Devaney and Leah Fox in your attack, the county duo always dangerous but with opposition watching them closely, Roisin Rooney, Nessa Fox and Aoife Gilmartin have all come up with big scores and, if the theory is that stopping Devaney, you stop Manor, consider the semi-final!

Devaney scored, for her, a low 1-4 but Leah Fox got 2-4, Gilmartin 2-2 and Roisin Rooney also found the net. That's the danger - watching Devaney takes some doing and can often leave others free to do damage but the problem is that the dual sports star has been running up incredible tallies in this year's championship.

Yet the same can be said for St Joseph's, regularly hit 15, 17 & 18 points in their games - the only games they didn't were two battles with Manor and Ballinamore Sean O'Heslins and in Bronagh O'Rourke, Kate Gormley & Michelle Heslin, the underdogs have huge scoring power.

And Joseph's have shown they can nullify high scoring attacks - they smothered Michelle Guckian and St Mary's in the semi-final and in Eadaoin Casey, Rachel McIntyre, Deirdre & Lorraine Moran and Clare Owens, they have a unit that knows how to close down an opposition attack.

Glencar Manor may have lost a few of their previous stars in defence but the addition of Denise Stenson from Mohill, the return of Hannah Johnston and the experience of Melissa Hewitt, Lauren Devaney and Rebecca Rooney, they are not an easy team to score against.

In the past, when Joes have troubled the five in a row champions, they have dragged them into a tight battle. Their ability to force turnovers and smoother opposition players was seen to great effect in the second half against St Mary's and that could prove crucial in a close battle.

The fact that nobody is writing off St Joseph's tells you how highly regarded they are by opponents and certainly Glencar Manorhamilton won't be taking anything lightly, last year's scare in the final a stark reminder of how tight these games can be.

Glencar Manor's reign will end one day - the loss of Clancy may only show up when the pressure is greatest but if there is one thing the champions relish in, it is performing under the highest pressure and in Muireann Devaney and Leah Fox, they have two potential game winners.

Expect another tight and tough battle, I think St Joseph's are happy going in as underdogs and if anybody can pull off a shock, it is them but the vote still has to go to Glencar Manorhamilton and a six in a row.