Loreto Clonmel will chase provincial success in Munster schools senior football final

The footballers of Loreto Clonmel will go in search of more provincial glory when they face John The Baptist Community School of Hospital, Co Limerick in the Munster Post Primary Schools Senior A Ladies Football Championship final next Wednesday, March 1 at 11.30am at Sean Treacy Park, Tipperary Town.

The Clonmel school completed a three in a row of provincial titles in 2020, and the road to this year’s Munster final began last October.

Although it hasn’t been the easiest path, facing the reigning All-Ireland champions along the way, it is one that has allowed the panel to grow together and they have undoubtedly formed a strong bond and camaraderie with each other.

This current senior panel, having not played together at junior level due to Covid, have shown great resilience and determination since the beginning of the year.

Round one of the Muster championship saw them face Cashel Community School, who were last year’s beaten Munster finalists, and Cashel ran out two-point winners.

The second game pitted Loreto against another Tipperary school, Presentation Thurles, on a day when the conditions were immensely tough for both sides.

However, Loreto made better use of the wind when it was at their backs and ran out comfortable winners.

Anybody present that day would agree that it was the catalyst for the next run of games, with players finding their form in positions and the team starting to work as one unit together.

The last group game was against St Augustine’s of Dungarvan, and Loreto were comfortable winners, with a lot of the younger players on the panel stepping up to the plate that day.

Having finished second in the group, a Munster quarter-final against Ballincollig was the next challenge for the Clonmel side. In a game played on a day when once again the conditions were difficult, Loreto showed great heart in the dying minutes of the game to deny Ballincollig’s advances on goal and came out victorious.

This meant that the Clonmel side, who have panel members from numerous clubs in the surrounding Tipperary and Waterford areas, were drawn to face St Mary’s of Midleton in the semi-final.

Loreto Clonmel were most definitely the underdogs, but through sheer heart, determination and immense teamwork, they ran out five-point winners.

The girls have been working extremely hard over the past few weeks preparing for the final, and a special mention goes to Martin Management Property Services Ltd, who has been a very generous sponsor of the team throughout the year.

And so Loreto Clonmel return to the pinnacle of Munster Post-Primary Schools Football and will contest the Munster A final against John the Baptist of Hospital.

There is a sense of keen rivalry about this game and undoubtedly Loreto will look to take every chance that comes their way.

It is sure to be a great, sporting game, with a wide range of talent and ability embedded in both sides.