McManus looking ahead to another challenge for Fermanagh

By Daire Walsh

SHE may be set to feature for her county at this stage of the competition for the first time as a player, but Niamh McManus has a clear memory of Fermanagh’s last appearance in a TG4 All-Ireland intermediate football championship final.

Back in September 2014, a 12-year-old McManus was in attendance to see Fermanagh taking on Down in an all-Ulster All-Ireland IFC decider at Croke Park. Included amongst the Erne panel during that period were a number of players who McManus can count as current inter-county colleagues – including her Kinawley Brian Borus club-mate Joanne Doonan.

Fermanagh ultimately fell to a comprehensive defeat on that day to Down, but a narrow win over the same opposition at St Tiernach’s Park in Clones last Sunday week has set them up for an intermediate final date against Roscommon in GAA HQ on August 2.

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“I would have always had a good interest in football myself and Fermanagh. It would have been a dream of mine to play for Fermanagh in Croke Park. Shannan McQuade I remember was playing corner-back, Joanne Doonan was half-forward and Brenda Bannon and Sarah McCausland were also on the panel,” McManus recalled of that 2014 final.

“We went down on a supporters’ bus. We were actually all pulling up photos there during the week of that. Watching on then, you’re kind of inspired by those players. Hopefully we can get a good support behind us leading into our final now.

“Back then at 12 years of age, I didn’t think it would take us this long to be back at that level. Hopefully now when we’re running out, we can inspire some more girls from Fermanagh to keep playing and keep getting involved.”

While they will be embarking on their first intermediate showpiece since that reversal to Down in 2014, Fermanagh have appeared regularly on the LGFA’s All-Ireland finals day. Following a drawn encounter with Derry in 2017, the Erne women eventually got the better of the Oak Leaf in a TG4 All-Ireland junior football replay held in Clones.

They subsequently lost a decider at the same grade to Louth at Croke Park in 2019, before securing another junior crown at the expense of Wicklow a year later in Parnell Park. McManus wasn’t involved in this victory despite being part of the panel for the first time at the beginning of the season, but she was a starter when Fermanagh enjoyed a two-game saga with Antrim in 2022.

The Saffrons overcame them in a replay at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, Armagh in that particular year, before the Erne outfit reclaimed the All-Ireland junior title with a 1-11 to 0-12 triumph over Louth in GAA HQ on August 4, 2024. Listed amongst the substitutes in the match programme, McManus ultimately started this game and played 49 minutes of a fiercely-contested final.

“I was kind of one foot in, one foot out whether I was going to be playing or not. I had come on as a sub during the year and had started a few games, so I was really glad to get the nod ahead of the game that I was going to be starting that day. It was a very proud day for all of us,” McManus said of their 2024 victory.

“It was a really special day to be a part of. Whether you’re starting or whether you’re coming on, getting to play in Croke Park is just a privilege. Definitely now on the second of August, we’ll need our subs and everything like that coming on to get us over the line.”

Big prize

In addition to climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand to collect the Mary Quinn Memorial Cup, a prize on offer for the winner of this year’s second-tier competition will be a spot in the TG4 All-Ireland senior football championship for 2027. Considering this would be new territory for McManus and all of her Erne colleagues, this will form part of their motivation for Sunday week’s final.

“Everyone kind of has that in the back of their mind too. That if you win this year, you get to play at the highest level, which is what you want for your county. Obviously, Fermanagh being such a small county with not many clubs in it.

“It would be massive for us to play at that level, which we never have before. This is the highest level I’ve played at, so it’s a real privilege to be in an intermediate final.”

Roscommon, of course, will be heading into the intermediate final with a similar mindset. Whereas Fermanagh bounced back from an opening round group defeat against Leitrim to reach this stage, Roscommon kick-started their All-Ireland campaign with a loss to Cavan before proceeding on a winning run that saw them overcoming the challenges of Down, Leitrim and Westmeath.

Their 2-14 to 2-10 success over the latter at Kingspan Breffni in Cavan on July 12 was a major psychological boost for the Connacht county, who had fallen short at the semi-final stage of the intermediate championship on numerous occasions since winning the competition in 2005.

Fermanagh played out a 4-8 to 3-11 draw with the Rossies at Tempo Maguires GAC in Division 3 of the Lidl National Football League on February 1 of this year. Yet even though this offers them some idea of what to expect in their latest clash, McManus acknowledges the Erne women can’t read too much into what was an early season encounter.

“You can’t base much off that. Teams are very much getting up to fitness, getting up to the pitch of the game. We were getting up to the level of Division Three and what is expected of us then. We’ve grown as a team since then and Roscommon have too. I would say you can’t really look much at that game and try to predict a winner from it,” McManus added.

“Roscommon as well have been in a similar boat to us in the last number of years. Coming close, but just never getting to the final. It’s great for Roscommon as well that they’ve shown everyone what they can do. We’re going to really have to be on our ‘A’ game against them.”