'Very fit and determined' Tipperary team bidding to win first Munster title

The ladies footballers from Aherlow will proudly represent their club and county in their first-ever Munster senior championship final against raging hot favourites Mourneabbey of Cork in Mallow this coming Sunday.
Perhaps it’s not quite correct to refer to any ladies contest as a David v Goliath clash, but in terms of what the girls from west Tipperary are up against, this is definitely a challenge of huge proportions for them.
Not alone are the north Cork side bidding for a seventh Munster provincial title in-a-row, they are also chasing a three-in-a-row of All-Ireland titles (taking into account that there were no provincial or national titles up for grabs in 2020).
All that may well be the case, but according to Aherlow mentor and selector, Pat Moroney, “we’re not going to Mallow on Sunday next just to make up the numbers. We are also an improving side and we did very well against the Kerry side in Killarney two weeks ago and we will hope to improve again against Mourneabbey,” said the former Aherlow and inter-county great.
“I got to see the two Munster semi-finals, our own one in Killarney two weeks ago and the one in Mallow on Sunday when Mourneabbey beat Ballymacarbry well” (a side they have beaten in the last two provincial finals).
“No doubt but Mourneabbey are a very, very good side indeed and we were very impressed with them. This is an uphill battle for us but we won’t go into it with a defeatist attitude or anything like that,” Pat added.
Aherlow regained the Tipperary title on Sunday, November 7 with a win over Brian Borus in the final played at Hannon Park in Lattin, a win that came when a “bit of lady luck smiled on us on the day,” as Pat put it himself.
Brian Borus led that day with the clock gone over by three minutes before Emma Morrissey’s attempted free to equalise ended up in the back of the Clogheen net for a somewhat fortuitous victory.
“But we put in an improved performance against Southern Gaels in the Munster semi-final, a side made up of a combination of six south Kerry clubs from Cahersiveen side,” he said.
Emma Morrissey, who scored 2-6 in the Tipperary decider also put in a huge game on Sunday week last at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney, when Aherlow overcame the Kerry champions by 0-9 to 0-6.
Together with the Kennedy twins, Anna Rose and Caitlin, Siobhan Condon, Ciara McCarthy, Brid Condon, Laura Ivory, Marie Condon and others, Aherlow have plenty of talent of their own and will be hoping for one collective top notch performance to put it up to the Shane Ronayne-managed multi-titled Mourneabbey.
“We need plenty of luck again the next day and a further improved performance,” continued Pat.
“Mourneabbey are a seriously good side in the way they go about their business, their ability to take scores and in how they take on the opposition. You can easily see they are used to playing together having been on the road a long time, and they are strong all over.”
“We are up against one of the top teams in ladies football in the country here but we will be hoping we won’t let the club or Tipperary ladies football down on Sunday, and I don’t think we will,” added Pat.
“Our girls are a very fit and very determined side. You saw that in the county final against Brian Borus, they stayed at it to the very end and lady luck smiled on them. It a much much bigger task on Sunday but we we won’t be letting them have it all their own way. This is a great occasion for the club either way, to be in a Munster senior final for the first time ever. The senior footballers came very close to it in 2010 when we lost a Munster semi-final against Dr Crokes in extra-time over in Cashel, so one way or the other the ladies footballers have made a name for themselves already, and you just never know what can happen on the day when you are in any final,” concluded Pat.
The size of the task facing Aherlow is borne out by the record books also.
Only one Tipperary club has managed to win the Munster senior ladies football title, Loughmore, back in 1977 - 44 years ago. That day the mid Tipperary club defeated Austin Stacks of Kerry by 1-5 to 2-1 in a final played in Newcastle West.
It is all of 40 years since a Tipperary club has even contested a senior final in the province, that honour going to Slievenamon back in 1981 when they lost out by 2-2 to 1-2 to Watergrasshill in the final played in Kilbehenny.
Mourneabbey, who beat Waterford champions Ballymacarbry impressively on Sunday last by 4-12 to 1-5, have also beaten The Nire side in four of their last five provincial successes. But once the ball is thrown in in at 2pm in Mallow this Sunday all of the above will count for absolutely nothing. The Stuart Moloney-managed Aherlow girls will give it their all and as Pat Moroney rightly said you just never know what can happen on the day when you are in any final.

Good Luck to Mullinahone Ladies

Good luck also to the Mullinahone ladies who travel to Mallow on Sunday to play Kerry side MKL Gaels in the junior final (12 noon). Having beaten a fancied Castlehaven side in the semi-final, Mullinahone will be hoping for a repeat result.

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