LGFA Previews: Ulster sides all in action for first time this weekend

By Niall Gartland

National Football League Division 2A

Monaghan v Cavan

Sunday, Clones, 12pm

THIS is Gerry Moane’s managerial debut as Cavan manager, and it isn’t an easy one as the Monaghan ladies seem to have bounced back after a worrying 2019 season.

Farney boss Ciaran Murphy placed his trust in youth last year, but they also have a number of seriously experienced players who need no introduction like Ellen McCarron, Cora and Rosemary Courtney, while Amanda Casey who is returning to the fold this year.

The Breffni ladies had a chastening experience in last year’s All-Ireland Senior Championship, so a change in management should do them no harm, especially as Moane has an excellent track record.

Both sides will harbour aspirations of promotion to Division One, and they’ll be especially keen to get up and running as tough tests against Armagh and Tyrone await both sides. It’s a tough one to call but we’ll give Monaghan the nod.

Verdict: Monaghan

National Football League Division 2B

Tyrone v Armagh

Sunday, Healy Park, 2pm

TYRONE have a certain point to prove in their league opener as they were on the receiving end of two serious thumpings against Armagh at the tail-end of last season.

They’ll be hoping to at least close the gap, but they have a couple of high profile injury absentees (namely Neamh Woods and Slaine McCarroll) so it’s a big ask.

Keeping Aimee Mackin and Caroline O’Hanlon anywhere near quiet is easier said than done, and they particularly struggled to work the ball up the pitch from kickouts when they met in last year’s Ulster Championship.

The Orchard county are riding the crest of a wave at the minute and are strong in every sector. It’ll be a major surprise if they don’t make it out of their four-team group especially as they’ve boosted their panel with Mairead Tennyson, Lauren McConville and a number of others set to make their return. This is a baptism of fire for new Red Hands boss Kevin McCrystal to say the least.

Verdict: Armagh

National Football League Division 1A

Donegal v Westmeath

Sunday, Ballybofey, 1pm

DONEGAL lost to Westmeath in last year’s league, a defeat which really will have stung as it wasn’t that long ago that Maxi Curran’s side was competing strongly for Division One titles.

By the time the pandemic kicked in, they were in danger of relegation so they’ll be hopeful of performing much better this season.

They will have gained confidence by their impressive showing against the Dublin ladies in the All-Ireland Championship, and while Yvonne Bonner and Ciara Hegarty are away, they still have a strong panel.

They lost last year’s meeting against Westmeath by 1-11 to 1-7, struggling to come to terms with their opponent’s defensive approach. The Leinster opponents went onto have a good season but came out second best in the All-Ireland Intermediate final against rivals Meath.

Geraldine McLaughlin and co will be gunning for revenge and we think they can do the business, especially as they have home advantage on their side.

Verdict: Donegal

National Football League Division 3A

Roscommon v Fermanagh

Sunday, Dr Hyde Park, 2pm

ALL-IRELAND Junior champions Fermanagh face a tough start to their Division Three campaign, but not an impossible one.

The Rossies were in with a shot of promotion before last year’s lockdown intervened, and it’s worth mentioning that one of their stalwarts, Sinead Kenny, is making her 115th appearance for the county. They also have a new manager installed, former Mayo star Diane O’Hara, so the players will be keen to impress in their first game of the season.

The Erne county will be quietly confident though. They won last year’s All-Ireland Junior Championship in style, but perhaps more pertinently, they had a decent league campaign last year and were virtually assured of survival before the games were halted.

Fermanagh will look to likes of Eimear Smyth up front, Courteny Murphy and Joanne Doonan to carry the fight to the Rossies, but they’re a strong outfit all over the park. It should be a competitive match if nothing else, which isn’t always the case in Ladies Football.

Verdict: Roscommon

National Football League Division 3A

Down v Sligo

Sunday, Teconnaught, 3pm

DOWN are on the up, so to speak, and will be confident of getting off to the best possible start against Connacht side Sligo this weekend.

The Mourne girls got the victory in the equivalent encounter last February, with Bryansford star Natasha Ferris scoring a phenomenal 1-14 on the day.

Joint-managers Caoibhe Sloan and Peter Lynch have appointed a new team captain, Laoise Duffy, and while a few girls are unavailable, they have exceptionally talented younger performers like Orna Kelly and Niamh Scullion starting to make their mark, while Clara Fitzpatrick has opted not to return to Women’s AFL.

Sligo had a frankly awful 2020, losing all three of their championship games and their five Division Three outings, so it’s hard to see a major improvement happening overnight. They do, however, have a new manager – Anthony Brennan, father of team captain Nicola, but Down will be disappointed if they don’t grab the two points.

Verdict: Down

National Football League Division Four

Derry v Antrim

Sunday, 2pm, Celtic Park

THESE sides are well used to each other at this stage, to the point they’re probably sick of the sight of each other. The Saffrons got the better of proceedings in last year’s championship, but that mightn’t count for much this time around as Derry have had the more stable preparations for this match.

Antrim boss Dee McConville decided at the eleventh hour that he wasn’t going to return as manager, so their new manager Emma Kelly(a former captain of the county) has only had a fortnight to prepare for this game, while Derry’s training is understood to have gone very well. A subplot to the game is that Kelly is originally from Derry (Desertmartin), while the Oak Leafer’s new boss Odhran McNeilly is an Antrim man.

The Saffrons will look to the likes of Cathy Carey, Saoirse Tennyson and Niamh Enright to carry the fight to Derry, while there is intrigue about what team McNeilly will actually name as he’s really tried to overhaul things.

Verdict: Derry