In a battle of potent attacks, defences may decide 2023 Gotham Dry Wall LGFA Senior A Final

Offences win games, defences win championships is a saying commentators like to throw out there but it could not be more true for next Saturday's Gotham Dry Wall Senior A Final meeting of Glencar Manorhamilton and St Joseph's in Drumshanbo (1.30 pm throw-in).

Champions Glencar Manorhamilton are chasing a four in a row that only Aughawillan have ever achieved and while they are a bit away from the 12 in a row the Willies claimed back in the late 90s and early noughties, the signs are there that the north Leitrim women could dominate for years to come.

Yet facing them is a St Joseph's team who twice broke Glencar Manor hearts in county finals on their way to claiming a three-in-row between 2017 and 2019 and looking at the teams progress to the final this year, there appears to be little or nothing between them.

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Even the scoring stats are eerily similar - both teams have scored 17 goals, Manor ha've only conceded 42 points over five games for the champions and 43 for the Aughavas & Carrigallen women. The difference comes in points scored and goals conceded with Joe's letting in 10 and Manor scoring 28 more points over five games than their rivals.

True, the final game between the sides was a high scoring encounter with nothing at stake as Glencar Manor won 5-13 to 2-10 but those goals contributed half of the total conceded by Joseph's and if we disregard that contest as a match that didn't matter, as both camps will undoubtedly stress this week, then the stats tighten a good bit.

Glencar Manor's figures would be scored 12-67 and conceded 3-32 to St Joseph's 15-42 and 5-30, again illustrating just how tight it is going to be.

Strangely, for teams who have both averaged over 20 points a game in this campaign (Manor 26.2 to Joe's 20.6), it is likely to be how the defences fare against the opposition attacks that decides where the Cup resides at the end of Saturday evening.

When you have forwards of the calibre of Muireann Devaney, Carmel McGovern, Leah Fox, Bronagh O'Rourke, Ailbhe Clancy and Michelle Heslin, it is natural that talk of attacks is going to dominate the build-up but it will come down to how each defence copes on the day in Kiltubrid.

Goals will games and both these teams thrive on goals - St Joseph's may feel that stopping Muireann Devaney could halt the champions, particularly as the dual sports star is contributing so much of her team's scores, but as everyone has found, saying that is easier said than done.

And then there is the danger that putting all your concentration on Devaney could free up Leah Fox and Ailbhe Clancy to do real damage and we know they can do that.

Manorhamilton's defence is statistically the meaner unit in this year's competition and when you have players like Rebecca Rooney, Mary Alice Carson and Karen Connolly being supplemented by help from Aoife Gilmartin and Anna Devaney, it is easy to see why it is so hard to build up a big score against them.

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Interestingly, new Senior B champions Ballinamore were the only team to take a point from Glencar Manor in this campaign, the champions very lucky to salvage a 3-15 to 4-12 draw. Yet even  that game shows the drive of the champions as they came from seven points down to grab a draw.

Michelle Heslin, Carmel McGovern and Bronagh O'Rourke carry the scoring burden for St Joseph's but in every game, they've also seen others pop up with big scores like Rachel McIntyre & Kate Gormley and other than their draw with Ballinamore, the 2-10 St Joseph's scored was Manor's biggest concession of the competition.

Clare Owens' return was a huge boost for St Joseph's as it lends them huge experience and lifts the other players around them - St Joseph's haven't had it all their own way but in tight games against St Mary's, Ballinamore and most importantly Kiltubrid, the ability to strike for killer goals at just the right time was crucial for St Joseph's.

St Joseph's have a clarity to what they want to do and that's going to be tough for Glencar Manorhamilton to break down while they know how to hang in games when things aren't going their way - most of their team is backboned by their three-in-a-row side but the new players have really bought into the work ethic demanded by St Joseph's.

You could say the same for Glencar Manor - some of the faces who led them to their historic breakthrough in 2020, a Connacht Intermediate club title and a Connacht Senior Final appearance are no longer there but new players have slipped seamlessly into a team every bit as driven as they were three years ago.

Does the draw against Ballinamore or their struggle to get past the new Senior B winners in last year's Senior A Final signal a weakening of their resolve? I wouldn't think so because even without playing well, they found a way to get the job done.

Of course, it helps if you have someone like Devaney leading the line. The Athlone Town star seems almost impossible to hold and rarely, if ever, fails to produce - that sort of consistency makes you wonder can she be stopped or do St Joseph's simply concentrate on trying to reduce her impact? Doing that is not easy but it has got to start with reducing the supply into Devaney but even then, it might not be enough as Leah Fox is one of those rare instinctive finishers that given half a chance will bury the ball in the back of the net.

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Glencar Manor have also made a virtue of being the fittest and best organised team in the county over the past few years, a trait shared by their Minor team who offer some interesting options off the bench in the likes of Megan Rooney or Lauren Devaney.

The odds and formbook suggest Glencar Manorhamilton will retain their title and it is hard to not go with that. Yet, I've seen St Joseph's under huge pressure this year and still find a way to win so I'm not so sure. Both teams have form in finishing out tight games and if it is tight, well then it is anyone's money as to where the crown goes.

But I've got to go with Glencar Manorhamilton. They are setting a stamp on the club game in the county in a way that only Aughawillan have done. If they get enough ball into their deadly forwards, they'll do the damage to bring the title back for a fourth year in a row.