Leitrim club's focus turns to Connacht
Kiltubrid Ladies contest Connacht LGFA Intermediate Club Final on Saturday while St Mary's Kiltoghert & Carrigallen start their AIB Connacht Club campaigns next weekend
After months of a complete focus on nothing but county titles, attention turns next weekend to Connacht Club action with three Leitrim teams in provincial action as Kiltubrid Ladies set their sights on winning a Connacht title.
Kiltubrid take on Mayo's Charlestown Sarsfields in the Connacht LGFA Intermediate Club Final on Saturday in St Croan's GAA club, Ballintubber in Roscommon (1pm throw-in time) as they seek to win a first provincial title for the club.
While not ruling it out, Kiltubrid manager Stephen Sheerin dampened speculation that ALFW star Aine Tighe might make a return to the Kiltubrid colours on Saturday after the end of her season with Fremantle in the past few weeks with Stephen commenting “A man could only wish, a man can only hope.
“No I think this one might come a little bit soon for Aine I’m afraid. We’ll do everything we can. We’d find a jersey and a pair of football boots for her somewhere but I think unfortunately, that might be a little bit too challenging.”
St Mary's make their own bit of history when they become the first Leitrim side to play the London champions in the Connacht club championship next Saturday when they take on St Kiernan's in McGovern Emerald Park in Ruislip (1.30 pm throw-in).
Carrigallen's footballers have a very short break after winning the Corrib Oil Junior A title last Sunday as they face a trip to Pearse Stadium in Galway to take on Clifden in the Provincial Junior Semi-Final. Captain Eoin Ward is determined to make the most of the opportunity: “We’ll be treating it with the utmost respect and trying to do Leitrim proud in that regard. We will be resetting, we have plans in place and we will be looking to challenge in it.”
Despite the short break, Eoin is not fazed: “We knew that was in the pipeline anyway, we knew what we can do in Connacht - when the boys won the Intermediate here in 2006, they went on a good run and got to a Connacht Final.”
Carrigallen manager Niall Mulleady is honest to admit that the Provincial campaign hasn’t been on his radar: “We’re out on Sunday in Salthill, it is in the very back of the head to be honest with you. It is going to be hard to get these lads pulled back together, they’re going to enjoy it and rightly so.
"It was never a priority with all due respect to the Connacht championship, the priority was to win the Junior Championship. We have a week, we’d have liked more. It is in Salthill, it is a big experience, there are a lot of tired bodies but it is a nice problem to have.”