Ladies Football – weekend previews

By Jackie Cahill

THE 2025 TG4 All-Ireland Junior, Intermediate and Senior champions will be crowned on Sunday.

The three finals are down for decision at Croke Park – and all are available to watch live via TG4, on linear TV and online.

The action gets underway at 11.45am when Antrim take on 2024 runners-up, Louth, with the Intermediate Final between Laois and last year’s beaten finalists, Tyrone, fixed for 1.45pm.

At 4.15pm, Leinster sides Dublin and Meath go head to head for the Senior title and the Brendan Martin Cup.

Sunday

TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Championship Finals

Junior: Antrim v Louth; Croke Park, 11.45am – Live on TG4: https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/watch-live/home/

Antrim and Louth have named unchanged teams for Sunday’s TG4 All-Ireland Junior Championship Final.

Antrim got the better of Sligo in the semi-finals to book a Croke Park berth, as Louth overcame Longford.

And it’s same again for the finalists as they prepare to battle it out for the West County Hotel Cup.

All eyes will be on the respective shooting stars – Antrim’s Maria O’Neill and Louth ace Kate Flood.

O’Neill has 8-16 (40 points) to her name ahead of the final, and that’s just a point behind the pace-setter in the race for the Golden Boot award, Dublin’s Hannah Tyrrell (6-23).

Flood is in with a shout too ahead of throw-in, sitting on 3-24 (33 points) – seven adrift of O’Neill and eight behind Tyrrell.

Ahead of the 2024 Junior decider, Fermanagh ace Eimear Smyth was in red-hot form and tipped as a player to watch.

She delivered with an astonishing haul of 1-9 in the final, a display that earned the Derrygonnelly Harps sharpshooter the Player of the Match award at Croke Park.

It will be interesting to note if O’Neill or Flood can step up in similar fashion this time on the big day.

Both of Sunday’s TG4 All-Ireland Junior Finalists are bidding to become champions in this grade for the fourth time.

Sunday’s battle for the silverware on offer – and also promotion to the Intermediate ranks – will ensure that TG4 All-Ireland Finals Day gets off to a storming start.

A win for Antrim would provide them with victory in this competition for the first time since 2022 – with Louth chasing a first TG4 All-Ireland Junior crown since 2019.

Antrim: A Devlin; N McIntosh, M Blaney, M Mulholland; S O’Neill, C Brown, C McKenna; A Mulholland, Á Tubridy; T Mellon, M O’Neill, A Kelly; B Devlin (capt.), O Dahunsi, L Agnew.

Louth: R Lambe Fagan; R Beirth, E Hand, E Murray; H Lambe Sally, S McLaughlin, L Byrne; Á Breen (capt.), A Halligan; L White, E Byrne, S Matthews; A Russell, K Flood, C Nolan.

Tyrone captain Aoibhinn McHugh

Intermediate: Laois v Tyrone; Croke Park, 1.45pm – Live on TG4: https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/watch-live/home/

There’s one change in personnel for Tyrone ahead of Sunday’s TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate final.

Niamh O’Neill replaced Sasha Byrne at half-time in the thrilling semi-final victory over Westmeath, which went to extra-time, and O’Neill gets the nod to start against Laois on Sunday.

Laois are unchanged following their semi-final victory over Monaghan, as the 2022 winners aim for a second Intermediate title win in four seasons.

Tyrone last won the TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate crown back in 2018 and the big prizes on offer on Sunday are the Mary Quinn Memorial Cup and Senior Championship football in 2026.

It’s Ulster opposition again for Laois, as it was at the semi-final stage, but the O’Moore County won’t be fazed.

They have two forwards in magnificent form to date in the 2025 Championship, with Emma Lawlor (4-12) and Mo Nerney (4-11) combining for 8-23.

Twelve players have contributed on the scoreboard throughout the All-Ireland series to date for Laois but Lawlor and Nerney have shot the lights out.

Tyrone have also sparkled up front and have two forwards in with a shot of landing the coveted ZuCar Golden Boot award, the prize on offer for the leading scorer in the 2025 TG4 All-Ireland Championships.

Aoife Horisk (3-22) and Sorcha Gormley (6-11) arrive at Croke Park knowing that a big total from either player could push them firmly into contention for the Golden Boot award.

Laois: E Barry; S Farrelly, C Dunne, F McEvoy; A Gorman, A Moore, A Moran (capt.); F Dooley, J Moore; S Havill, E Galvin, C Crowley; E Lacey, E Lawlor, M Nerney.

Tyrone: A Coyle; J Lyons, G McKenna, E Quinn; C Canavan, M Mallon, C Campbell; A McHugh (capt.), S McCarroll; E McNamee, S Gormley, A Horisk; N O’Neill, C McCrossan, M Corrigan.

Senior: Dublin v Meath; Croke Park, 4.15pm – Live on TG4: https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/watch-live/home/

Orlagh Nolan is named to start in the Dublin team for Sunday’s TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship Final.

If Nolan does line out, it’ll mark a first inter-county start for the Ballinteer St Johns star since last year’s group stage clash with Kildare in the All-Ireland series.

Nolan’s 2024 season was cruelly cut short by an ACL injury sustained before the quarter-final clash with Galway but she returned against the same opposition in the recent semi-final – and performed brilliantly in a substitute’s role as the Sky Blues won a dramatic game after extra-time.

Nolan comes in for Caoimhe O’Connor, who sustained a hamstring injury against Galway last time out.

That’s the only change in personnel from the semi-final, with Meath opting for an unchanged starting line-up.

However, there may be a change in personnel for the Royal County, as key defender Katie Newe was forced off with a knee injury during the semi-final win against Kerry, last year’s champions.

The scene is set for a gripping TG4 All-Ireland Senior final between two sides who know plenty about each other.

Dublin won the most recent competitive clash between them, in the 2025 TG4 Leinster Final.

You have to go back to 2024 for Meath’s last victory against their old rivals – in a Lidl National League Division 1 group game – while the Royals last achieved a championship win against Dublin in 2022, in Leinster.

The counties have not met in the All-Ireland series since the dramatic 2021 All-Ireland final – when Meath won to land the Brendan Martin Cup for the very first time.

Meath retained the silverware in 2022 and will aim for a third title win next Sunday at Croke Park.

Dublin are readying themselves for the 14th Senior final in the county’s history – and a win for the Sky Blues would hand them a seventh TG4 All-Ireland Senior crown.

Dublin were previous winners in 2010, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2023.

Dublin: A Shiels; J Tobin, L Caffrey, N Donlon; S Goldrick, M Byrne, N Crowley; É O’Dowd, H McGinnis; N Owens, C Rowe (capt.), O Nolan; H Tyrrell, N Hetherton, K Sullivan.

Meath: R Murray; Á Sheridan, MK Lynch, K Newe; A Cleary (capt.), S Wall, K Kealy; O Sheehy, M Farrelly; M Thynne, N Gallogly, C Smyth; E Duggan, V Wall, K Cole.