Month: September 2021

JUST 90 SECONDS into the 2016 AIB All-Ireland club football final, Colm Basquel danced through the Castlebar Mitchels defence and fired a screamer to the net.

The stunning score put Ballyboden St Enda’s into a lead they would ultimately hold onto and they picked up their first ever club title that afternoon.

Over two and a half years on, Basquel has added three All-Ireland senior medals with Dublin and was on the bench for the 2016 and 2018 final wins over Mayo and Tyrone.

Yet at 22, he’s still waiting for his football career to truly lift off and has started just one Championship game for Dublin, the dead rubber demolition of Roscommon in the Super 8s last summer.

It was against that background that the blindingly fast forward made a quite extraordinary full championship debut for the Ballyboden hurlers in the semi-finals of the AIB Leinster club SHC yesterday.

He scored 3-3 from play against Coolderry, did the spadework for Conal Keaney’s goal, won the free that forced the game to extra time and drew three more frees right at the death that Paul Ryan converted in what was a three-point win.

Colm Basquel celebrates a goal with team-mate Conor Dooley.

Source: Oisin Keniry/INPHO

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“I spoke to Collie maybe two months ago after Dublin finished up,” said Ballyboden manager Joe Fortune, explaining how Basquel came to be part of the panel.

“He actually came out to me and chatted to me one night. He explained to me how much he loves hurling as a player and how he always did the whole way up. But he’d got a massive opportunity with Jim Gavin and the Dublin senior footballers.

“We set him a target – and he hit his target (against Coolderry). He’s that kind of a player who can be very special at times. He’s probably as special on a football field as he is on a hurling field.

“It’s not fair maybe to single out one player but I thought in general, did he answer what we asked him to do? Yeah, he did.”

It begs the obvious question what exactly Fortune and his management team asked of the debutant that he came up with such a memorable display?

“To score!” smiled Fortune.

Joe Fortune celebrates Ballyboden’s victory.

Source: Oisin Keniry/INPHO

“Not necessarily to be direct, we just said it to him on the basis that he has the quality. People talk about other forwards around the country and Collie’s as good as them. Hurling, coming up along, was his number one sport.

“I just think he needs a little bit of work, he’s a bit raw yet. We’ll see how the next couple of weeks go and see will he start the next day first of all.”

Basquel’s father and uncle sat high up in the main stand at Parnell Park on Sunday as the former Dublin U21 football star displayed his full array of skills.

His father explained that Colm played little hurling in the last five years or so as he focused on underage and senior football with Dublin teams, winning an All-Ireland U21 football medal in 2017,

Yesterday’s performance against Coolderry, the 2011 Leinster champions, means he’ll be a marked man on Sunday week when they take on the might of Henry Shefflin’s Ballyhale Shamrocks.

“That’s a huge challenge,” said Fortune of the final, Ballyboden’s first since 2007.

“No matter what final you go to, there’s only one job to do and that’s to win it. Is Ballyhale going to be a massive challenge? Of course it is. But, you know what, I don’t think they’ll fancy us either. At the end of the day it’s two great teams going head to head in a Leinster final and it will be the best team that will win it on the day.”

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IT STARTED OUT against Ballygunner back in 2011 and ultimately it was the same opponents that brought the run to an end seven years later.

Na Piarsaigh took their first steps on the Munster senior club hurling circuit in November 2011, winning a semi-final tie by 3-9 to 0-12 against Ballygunner in Walsh Park.

That set in motion an odyssey for the Limerick club that featured four unbeaten campaigns in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017. 

Last month’s semi-final victory over Clonoulty-Rossmore presented them with the chance to grasp the title for the fifth time yesterday in Thurles but their 13th outing in Munster saw them sustain a loss for the first occasion.

A seasoned team have been pushing hard for a while and after being pipped in the All-Ireland decider in March, 2018 ended on a hollow note.

“I wouldn’t have thought going into the game (it was a problem), there was a lot of energy there,” reflected manager Paul Beary.

“We knew it was going to be played to a finish today and we knew a big push was needed. But they’ve been on the receiving end so many times we knew it was going to be a massive battle. Maybe it was one battle too many.

“I looked at their game with Ballyea and it was a serious dogfight. I felt it was going to catch up with us at some stage but I hoped it wouldn’t be today.

“We also went straight from the county final into the Munster club, when normally we have a bit of a break. But that said, we looked good after ten or twelve minutes.

“We had a lot of possession, we were in a rhythm, but we just didn’t punish them when we got the balls going in. We just didn’t reflect that on the scoreboard.”

The scoring statistic was a salient one to point to. Na Piarsaigh looked like they had hit their stride early in this decider in totting up 1-4 on the board inside nine minutes but finished the game with 2-8.

That was a slump from their normal high standards. It was the joint lowest total Na Piarsaigh had recorded in a Munster tie. They have crossed the 20-point mark nine times in Munster action, reaching 14 was illustrative of a problem they faced.

“It’s very hard to figure out,” admitted Beary.

“We got off to a great start, but we only scored 1-4 between that and the end of the match. It just didn’t really happen. We got balls in to the inside forward line but we just didn’t penetrate the way we have done this season.

“They played it very smartly in terms of sweeping up behind and picking up the breaks, better than we did, but when we were chasing the game it probably made their game plan that bit easier.

“Thereafter we had to look for goals, which wouldn’t be our normal policy, we’d normally keep on tapping over points so that was a different game to what we’re used to. Shane was unlucky as well, there was a great save from their keeper.”

Na Piarsaigh have had the upper hand in outings against Ballygunner but after falling the wrong of the result, Beary paid tribute to their conquerors.

“Fair dues to Ballygunner. In fairness it was a very dogged Ballygunner team, they showed huge desire, huge work rate, they scrapped for every ball and hats off to them, we fully congratulate them on their victory.

“It’s been a long year for Na Piarsaigh, and for the lads involved with Limerick, but we’ll be back.”

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Stephen O’Keeffe was joint captain for Ballygunner’s victory.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

TALES FROM THURLES on club afternoons for Stephen O’Keeffe.

In 2009 he was a teenager between the posts as Ballygunner fell short by a pair of points in a Munster final against Newtownshandrum. Another final in 2015 in Semple Stadium with O’Keeffe in goal as Na Piarsaigh bettered the Waterford club by seven points.

In 2016 in a quarter-final it was local side Thurles Sarsfields who prevailed 0-17 to 0-16, Pa Bourke arrowing over an injury-time winner from a ’65 after O’Keeffe had tipped a shot behind the endline. Last year at the venue, more pain in the form of a loss in a decider to Limerick’s champions again.

A dejected Stephen O’Keeffe after Ballygunner’s Munster club hurling defeat in 2016.

Source: Ken Sutton/INPHO

So after those days of devastation, yesterday was a moment of deliverance for the Waterford netminder in club colours.

That Munster club hurling crown was finally in their possession.

“It’s hard to sum up. Now that we’ve finally got there, maybe it makes all the heartbreak we had a few years ago, it makes it a bit more sweeter. It’s very hard to put it into words. When you lose two Munster finals, you kind of say what else is there to lose and you just go at it full whack and really never give up until the final whistle. 

“Last year we got a goal to bring it to within a point in 59 minutes and then Na Piarsaigh having that extra bit of gear, that extra bit of experience, they kind of steamrolled us in injury-time to win by eight points. I remember very well because I was standing over there bawling my eyes out. Just to actually get here and to get up the steps, it’s indescribable.”

The joint captain was in the thick of the action, involved in key moments that influenced the course this game took. He stepped up before half-time to nail a penalty to the net at the Town End and then in the same goalmouth he sprung to his side to thwart a Shane Dowling snap shot at a crucial stage late on.

“I wouldn’t even call it confident or not confident (taking the penalty), I seem to have a talent for being able to block things out completely. I suppose maybe it’s a mechanism of taking pressure off that you know you just give it your best, if it’s good enough, it’s good enough. If you’ve done the training, it should be. That’s easy to say now that it went in, if it went wide I might be telling you a different story.

“Then I’d a very good sight of it in fairness and I think Shane (Dowling) was hitting it off balance in fairness to him. I think under normal circumstances if he’d time to set himself, there probably would have been no hope of me saving it but the backs were in fairness fighting tooth and nail for even to get close to people. That was the attitude we came with today.”

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Brothers in arms! Here's what it meant to siblings JJ and Wayne Hutchinson after Ballygunner finally defeated Na Piarsaigh in Munster to lift the provincial title today. #Ballygunner #ChampsAtLast #GAA

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Ballygunner’s resilience was forged in the precarious positions they had found themselves in during this Munster campaign.

“I think the two games we played against Midleton and Ballyea really stood to us. When you come up to the Munster final and you’re playing a team that have beaten you twice in the last three years and then suddenly they get a goal in the first two minutes, the natural thing would be to drop the head.

“But I think it’s because we were in the position in the last two games. I think that does build in a bit of resilience, that it’s a long game. If you just keep the head, you’ll get your chances and it’s about taking them when they pop up I suppose.

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“We could have been beaten the last day by Ballyea, we got the rub of the green. We kept pushing and we got the result. It is a testament to the lads in fairness.”

And now a Munster medal will rest in their honours list. Ballygunner have swept to seven county titles during O’Keeffe’s club senior career, the absence of a provincial triumph would naturally have grated.

Defender Ian Kenny celebrates Ballygunner’s victory.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

“It’s easy to say now that if we hadn’t have won, there would have been regrets but there would have been. We spoke about it all year.

“There’s absolutely no shame in losing to teams like Thurles Sars or Na Piarsaigh or Ballyea if we’d got beaten the last day, fantastic teams.

“But at the same time, when you get into the competition five times and you get to the final, this is our third time in the final, if you don’t get over the line, there will be regrets.

“I suppose we felt we had enough in the tank to win a Munster championship but unfortunately on the day over the years we’ve come up against fantastic teams that have just been better than us. Finally we’re after getting to where we want to go.”

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2018 HAS BEEN an unforgettable year for Rory Beggan.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

The Monaghan netminder picked up his first All-Star earlier this month on the back of his finest campaign in the Farney colours.

Beggan was solid between the posts, showed off his arsenal of pin-point kick-outs during the summer, while also posting 0-18 from dead balls across nine championship games on Monaghan’s run to the All-Ireland semi-final.

In October, he clipped over a brace of frees as Scotstown lifted their fourth Monaghan SFC title in succession and in the recent Ulster club quarter-final scored his first ever point from play in championship football against Burren. 

Is there anything Rory Beggan can't do?

🙌Safe hands
⭐️GAA All-Star
🏐Point from play

The @monaghangaa keeper pops over a point from play in @ScotstownGAA's Ulster SFC last-eight win over Burren

📱 Highlights available later this evening

👉 https://t.co/7kgKJ1me76 #bbcgaa pic.twitter.com/pCpN78dVWX

— BBC SPORT NI (@BBCSPORTNI) November 4, 2018

In yesterday’s come-from-behind semi-final win over Derry champions Coleraine, the 26-year-old was typically accurate from placed balls and also had a major impact from open play. 

Trailing Coleraine by three points in the final few minutes, Scotstown sent the 6’5″ powerhouse up into the opposition half as a 15th outfield player. It worked a charm.

57 mins – Beggan slots over his second free of the afternoon. Coleraine 2-10 Scotstown 1-11

62 mins – Beggan joins the Scotstown attack. Kieran Hughes picks out the unmarked keeper about 35m out from the Coleraine goals.

Beggan fist passes into the path of full-back Ryan O’Toole for a vital score that reduces the gap to two. Coleraine 2-10 Scotstown 1-12

63 mins – Beggan gets himself well ahead of the ball as Conor McCarthy assesses his options on the 45. 

The play is switched to the right flank and Beggan continues his run into full-forward, forcing a Coleraine defender to stick with him.

Corner-back Damien McArdle is afforded enough time and space to take a solo, look up and drill over the leveller from the outside his boot. Coleraine 2-10 Scotstown 1-13

66 mins – Scotstown have scored three on the bounce but this time Beggan stays at home with extra-time looming. McCarthy passes to Donal Morgan, who is fouled on the 45m line. 

Beggan trots upfield and slots over his third score of the afternoon to seal Scotstown’s progression. Coleraine 2-10 Scotstown 1-14

Beggan’s role in O’Toole’s 62nd-minute score was particularly impressive. A shot was there for him to take on but instead he chose the correct option and left O’Toole with an easier shot at the posts. 

Beggan clearly learned from his late mishap in the All-Ireland semi-final against Tyrone, when he took on an ambitious strike from 60m in the final 10 seconds, instead of playing it into Hughes at full-forward.

Rory Beggan was despondant after he fluffed a late chance against Tyrone in the All-Ireland semi-final.

Source: Oisin Keniry/INPHO

Interestingly, it was the second game in-a-row that Coleraine faced a fly-keeper. When Cavan champions Castlerahan were reduced to 14 men in their Ulster quarter-final, they sent goalkeeper Jamie Leahy onto the half-back line to even up the numbers when they had possession.

It’s a brave decision to move a keeper outfield, but when sides have ball-playing netminders like Beggan or Laois’s Graham Brody it makes sense to utilise them in this way. 

Defenders are not accustomed to dealing with goalkeepers in possession and often times teams will allow them solo upfield without laying a glove on them.

Indeed, Beggan’s only other score from play – in a 2017 league game against Clontibret – arrived when he was allowed to carry the ball into the opposition half and shoot unimpeded.

The Australians have used their goalkeeper as a spare defender in both the 2015 and 2017 International Rules series and it could be a tactic that will become more common as Gaelic football continues to evolve.

Wexford U20s keeper Ivan Meegan scored a point from play in the Leinster championship against Dublin during the summer, while Mayo stopper Matthew Flanagan came outfield to set-up a goal and a point in the closing stages of their late Connacht JFC preliminary round victory over Roscommon in May. 

Rory Beggan gets involved in open play against Kildare in Croke Park.

Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO

Beggan predicted goalkeepers will become more involved in outfield play at an AIB media event last month, declaring: “Goalkeepers can play football too. A lot of intercounty goalkeepers play outfield for their clubs. It would not be any new territory for them to go up and kick a point.

“I think there’s a lot more goalkeepers doing it at club level. Too many keepers are doing it but there is obviously a line that you don’t cross in terms of goalkeeping. Your main job is to protect the goal. 

“I think you’re going to see in the next year or two that some goalkeepers are going to start scoring,” he continued. “I think it is inevitable but I think it’s adventurous. I enjoyed watching Graham Brody this year. I think he single-handedly brought them back into the game against Wexford. 

“When he did it they stuck him in at corner forward at one stage but if teams want to use it it’s an option. Keepers are never marked so give them the ball.”

The goalkeeping position continues to evolve and Beggan is leading the charge.

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AFTER A SPATE of recent retirements, the Kerry football squad is set for further changes with four established players reportedly not in Peter Keane’s plans for next season.

Two-time All-Ireland minor winning manager Keane is preparing for his first year in charge of the Kingdom, having replaced Eamonn Fitzmaurice in October. 

Radio Kerry is reporting that Fionn Fitzgerald, Daithi Casey, Barry John Keane and Ronan Shanahan have not been called into initial team meetings ahead of the 2019 campaign. 

Fitzgerald, Kerry’s 2014 All-Ireland winning co-captain, and Casey (both 28) are key members of the Dr Crokes side who face Miltown-Malbay in the Munster club SFC final on Sunday. 

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Barry John Keane (also 28) has been a regular scorer off the bench for Kerry this decade while 26-year-old defender Shanahan only made his debut against Mayo in the 2017 league.

Since their 2018 season ended at the Super 8s stage, Darran O’Sullivan, Kieran Donaghy, Donnchadh Walsh and Anthony Maher have all stepped away from the inter-county scene. 

Radio Kerry also reports that a number of players eligible for the U20 grade in 2019 could be involved with the seniors instead, which suggests the Munster champions will be looking to build for the future next season.

Keane is currently putting together a new-look squad for the upcoming campaign, while his backroom team will feature Donie Buckley, Maurice Fitzgerald, Tommy Griffin and James Foley.

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AS A YOUNGSTER Philip Mahony remembers the impression left by witnessing Ballygunner reach the Munster hurling summit back in 2001.

It was a feat he wished to emulate but didn’t envisage the struggle and disappointment that would ensue in his playing days as the Waterford champions made their foray in the province.

At the seventh attempt, Mahony saw a Munster campaign end on a joyous note on Sunday. After four final losses, he appreciated this win.

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“It’s relief. If we never won Munster, it would have stuck with me until the day I die. If you knew how much we thought about winning this, you would say it’s not normal and not healthy. One thing we were always told when we were young is the easiest thing in life to do is give up.

“In the last five years we came back every year and we worked harder and harder, even when we thought we couldn’t work any harder. We managed to try and eke out another one or two per cent, and we got over the line today and it’s the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life anyway. It really is.

“I remember being here in 2001, I remember exactly where I was standing and looking up at Billy (O’Sullivan) lift the cup. To fast forward 17 years and to look up and have the cup there again and back to Ballygunner tonight is just something I’ll never forget.

“I remember even back then, the spirit and the atmosphere around the club being something special. Being up in the school in 2001 when the lads brought the cup in – it literally was my dream that one day we’d be out and doing it.”

Mahony was responsible for a crucial intervention in getting Ballygunner to this stage, it took his overhead whip to the net to rescue the semi-final against Ballyea. That goal necessitated extra-time and Ballygunner seized the chance to win before getting the job done in Sunday’s final, to make amends for previous losses.

Philip Mahony celebrates his goal for Ballygunner against Ballyea.

Source: Ken Sutton/INPHO

“At the time it wasn’t really (a big moment), because we knew we had today. Now I can look back at it and say it was great. 

“Last year we went three points up just after half-time, we possibly got white-line fever. We made sure we learned a lesson from that. We took all the emotion out of it in terms of the build-up, what we wanted to do on the field.

“Take every single minute as it came. We did a lot of work, a lot of visualisation. To be in that situation this year, we drove it on. Probably got a fortuitous goal that put a little bit of a buffer between us.

“I’ve been beating myself up about a ball last year in the final, myself and Ian Kenny came out to it, the two of us hesitated and they got a goal from it. That’s been chewing away at us for the last 12 months.”

Philip Mahony in action against Na Piarsaigh’s Conor Boylan.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

The supplier of that fortuitous goal was his brother Pauric, who amassed 1-6 on the day, and younger brother Michael came on as a late substitute. The bond in their squad was a key ingredient in Mahony’s view.

“Michael came on near the end, my other brother, and I’ve cousins and uncles as well. But it’s not really about that. One thing that’s underestimated, even from people in Waterford, is how close we are. For the last three or four months, we have been living out of each other’s pockets.

“I remember back in 2009, when I was 18 on the panel here against Newtownshandrum, we got into a position towards the end of the game where we could have won it. Again at the time, I thought we’d a very young team, a lot of success underage, and it might get a little bit easier.

“I don’t think there has ever been a team that has had to work as hard to win a provincial championship as we have. Seeing all the people around here today, how happy they are. I see David O’Sullivan over there, one of my best friends, who fought tooth and nail for years. This is for the likes of him. It’s a special moment.”

And there was also praise for Fergal Hartley, the man who guided them to glory.

Ballygunner manager Fergal Hartley.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

“He told us at the start of this year that he was going to come back, but he wouldn’t have been able to put in as much. We were saying any bit of Fergal whatsoever would have been brilliant for us, but he did the complete opposite.

“His wife and children must be fed up of him on the phone because he rings us 24/7 and he eats sleeps and drinks it. To see his face after is after making everything worthwhile, it’s just an unbelievable feeling.”

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GAA PRESIDENT JOHN Horan says he sees a future for the Aer Lingus Fenway Hurling Classic as long it pays for itself and doesn’t impact on anything else they are doing.

Horan was present at Fenway Park on Sunday when Limerick became the third county to win the Super 11s when they defeated Cork 38-30 in the modified game.

John Horan presents the trophy to winning Limerick captain Declan Hannon.

Source: Emily Harney/INPHO

The crowd of 12,674 was down on the attendances from last year and 2015 but Horan believes the event will continue and that it’s a good opportunity to reward players as well as spread the GAA gospel.

And he said that Fenway Sports Management are keen to continue and grow the event in conjunction with the GAA and GPA.

“It’s important these things wash their face, that they pay for themselves. That for me is the key thing, and out of that then players get a chance to get a break.

“As someone from Cork pointed out to me, they won two Munster titles and this was the only kind of reward the Cork lads got was the opportunity to come out here for a few days. “I’d never begrudge the lads having a break like this for a weekend.

“I was at the original one in 2015. I know the crowd was considerably bigger then.

“Fenway Sports are very keen to keep this going and the critical thing from our point of view is that it is washing its face and it is not taking money away from any of the clubs or the development programmes we are carrying out,” said Horan.

The matches were broadcast live in Ireland by TG4 and to a large audience on NESN in the United States and Horan said it is an event which strengthens the ties with the Irish diaspora, many of whom are unable to travel home and never get to see or meet the top GAA players.

Cork took on Limerick in the final at Fenway Park.

Source: Emily Harney/INPHO

“The games went well, they were quite competitive. Limerick came through in the end and they had the disadvantage of playing in the second semi-final but you could see the crowd bought into it in a big way.

“It’s a good opportunity for the players to come out here and mix with the Irish community out here.

“I was out in Canton on Saturday morning where Limerick trained and they did a meet and greet with the locals that’s key that we meet in with the local GAA out here and that’s where I see the big benefit.

“It’s a chance for them to meet the stars, many of them can’t go home, and as I always say at home as an amateur organisation our stars are very touchable in the sense that you meet them in your local club or local shop and they are not like the professional stars who have become nearly icons at a distance,” he added.

Sunday’s win crowns a fantastic year for Limerick. They never trailed in the final, having come from behind to beat Wexford 53-45 in the semi-finals. Cork booked their place in the final with Patrick Horgan scoring 20 points as they dethroned Clare by 42-37.

Action from the game between Limerick and Wexford.

Source: Emily Harney/INPHO

Limerick manager John Kiely said his squad really enjoyed the experience.

“It’s been a great year for us and this trip has been a bonus. The lads have really enjoyed it, it has been a great experience. It’s been great too for the Irish people living here. They get the chance to meet the players they have been watching all summer,” he said.

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TIPPERARY MANAGER SHANE Ronayne will continue in charge of the county’s ladies footballers for another two years, the county board has confirmed.

The 2017 All-Ireland intermediate title-winning boss remains at the helm after an up and down 2018 for Tipperary.

His ratification comes as more good news for Ronayne after he steered Mourneabbey to a fourth All-Ireland senior club final in five years on Sunday, with the Cork side hoping that 2018 can be the year that they finally reach the Holy Grail.

Ronayne has guided the Clyda outfit to four in-a-row Cork and Munster crowns, but they were narrowly defeated in All-Ireland deciders in 2014, 2015 and 2017 while their journey came to an end at the semi-final stage in 2016.

They face Dublin and Leinster kingpins Foxrock-Cabinteely in Parnell Park on Saturday, 8 December and after numerous near misses on each end, they both target lifting the Dolores Tyrrell Memorial Cup for the first time.

Ronayne guided Tipp to All-Ireland glory in 2017.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

With Tipperary meanwhile, Ronayne took over ahead of the 2017 season after working under the great Eamonn Ryan at Cork.

In a massive year, the Premier county landed three titles — Division 3 league, Munster and All-Ireland honours — and went unbeaten.

This year, Ronayne — who also manages UCC — oversaw a hugely successful Division 2 league campaign, in which they beat Cavan in the final to secure promotion to the top flight for 2019.

We would like to congratulate Shane Ronayne on being ratified as the Tipp Manager for the next 2 years. The very best of luck to Shane & all his team Ed Burke, Tony Smith, Sarah Jane Burke and James O Leary. 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦

— Tipp Ladies Football (@TippLadiesFB) November 20, 2018

In championship though, they were relegated from senior back down to the intermediate ranks. They held their own and contested well through the All-Ireland series, drawn in a tough group with Donegal and Kerry, but after relegation play-off losses to Waterford and Cavan, they tumbled back down to intermediate.

Ronayne’s backroom team for 2019 has been confirmed as Ed Burke, Tony Smith, Sarah Jane Burke and James O Leary as they face Division 1 football in January.

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Pairc Tailteann in Navan will host a double-header on Sunday.

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

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THE FOUR ROADS club in Roscommon have criticised the Camogie Association’s “crazy” and “unfair” decision to fix Sunday’s All-Ireland club junior final against Meath’s Kilmessan for Pairc Tailteann in Navan.

It will be effectively a home game for reigning All-Ireland junior champions Kilmessan, who are based just 13km away from Navan while Four Roads must travel 128km to reach the venue. 

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The All-Ireland junior final is part of a double-header at Pairc Tailteann, with the All-Ireland junior B final also featuring a side from the Royal County, Ratoath, who face Monaghan’s Clontibret. 

“It’s frustrating and disappointing,” a Four Roads official told The42.

“It’s been a long year and we’ve worked really hard to get to an All-Ireland final. We’ve already done a huge amount of travelling in the course of this.

“In the All-Ireland quarter-final we actually travelled to London to play Tara London in Ruislip and won that match. That’s a huge level of travelling and a huge expense for a really small, rural parish to take on.

“It was a trip that cost a significant amount of money – probably equal to what our club would probably take to run in a year.”

The club raised the issue with Croke Park, but were informed by the Camogie Association that “they couldn’t get a venue that could hold two matches on the same day.”

“All they’re saying is the looked for lots of venues and that they were looking for a venue that was equidistant or whatever way you want to say it,” the club official added.

Four Roads face Kilmessan in the All-Ireland camogie club junior final on Sunday.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

“The junior B final is a predecessor to our match, ironically that also has a Meath team in it, so there are actually two Meath teams playing All-Ireland finals in Meath on Sunday. It’s pretty ridiculous.” 

At this stage Four Roads have accepted the game will go ahead in Navan, but they wish to “highlight the injustice” to the Camogie Association “that this is not okay to do and it’s not okay to do going forward.”

“We can’t afford to have that in our heads. The game will be in Navan. We’re really focusing on getting to the match, getting our supporters there, doing the best we can and hopefully we’ll bring a great crowd.

“We have brilliant supporters, they’ll travel. We had supporters travel to London with us. We’ll have supporters there regardless of where it is but we’re really just trying to highlight these decisions that are made. We feel there’s a little bit of injustice in it.”

Last year’s drawn junior final between Kilmessan and Kerry’s Clanmaurice was played in Laois’s Crettyard while the replay took place at Dolla in Tipperary.

When contacted for comment, a spokesperson from the Camogie Assocation said: “For any All-Ireland finals the Camogie Association strives to secure venues which are of a standard that reflects the level and stage of competition being played.

“For these fixtures we were in contact with numerous grounds trying to secure such a venue, ideally in a central location. Due to the unavailability of several venues it was decided to select Páirc Tailteann in Navan for these fixtures as the venue meets all of the required criteria given its status as a county ground.

“Out of respect for all clubs involved, management and players, we as an organisation endeavour to have fixtures confirmed one week out in order for all involved, to plan and organise as required.”

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ANTHONY CUNNINGHAM’S ROSCOMMON backroom team has been confirmed with successful local club managers Iain Daly and Mark Dowd both coming on board as selectors.

Daly recently stepped down as manager of the Michael Glaveys club having guided them to the 2018 All-Ireland intermediate final where they lost out to a Sean Cavanagh-inspired Moy side in Croke Park.

Best of luck to Iain Daly who has been announced as selector along with Mark Dowd alongside Manager Anthony Cunningham for @RoscommonGAA. Thank you for managing our senior team to their most successful period in our clubs history. County & Connacht Intermediate Champions 2017 pic.twitter.com/NWc5jlOCGT

— Michael Glaveys GAA (@glaveys) November 19, 2018

Strokestown’s Mark Dowd previously managed Ballaghaderreen to a Mayo senior title in 2012 before going on to take charge of the Roscommon U21s.

Mark Dowd with the Roscommon U21s in 2015.

Source: Donall Farmer/INPHO

He also has previous experience of working with the Roscommon seniors having served under Fergal O’Donnell when they captured the 2010 Connacht SFC crown.

Dowd was also a selector with the Roscommon minor side who won the 2006 All-Ireland final after famously defeating Kerry in a replay.

Meanwhile, Noel Flynn from the Lucan Sarsfields club has been appointed as Roscommon’s strength and conditioning coach.

Flynn was previously part of Peter Creedon’s backroom team with Laois and is also a former underage player for Dublin.

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Roscommon GAA are pleased to confirm the appointment of Iain Daly (Michael Glavey’s) and Mark Dowd (Strokestown) as senior football team selectors. Noel Flynn will take over as strength and conditioning coach. #rosgaa #gaa pic.twitter.com/PxiUtFn6ld

— Roscommon GAA (@RoscommonGAA) November 19, 2018

Cunningham was announced as Roscommon’s new senior football manager earlier this month.

The former Galway hurling boss takes over from Kevin McStay, who stepped aside in September and revealed his decision to retire from senior inter-county management in the process.

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