Armagh and Derry aim for All-Ireland Double for Ulster

Derry and Armagh are preparing for an Under U16 All-Ireland Final double header on Sunday in Ashbourne. In the B Final Derry will come against Offaly with the Orchard County girls playing against Westmeath.

Derry are preparing for their second of three All-Ireland Finals this year and the Oak Leaf County girls are confident of building on the successes on the pitch in 2012. With an All-Ireland Minor B title secured in April and the Seniors due to play in the Intermediate Final in Croke Park on 16 ^th September, the U16’s will face Offaly in Donaghmore Ashbourne on Sunday at 3.15pm.

Derry selector Colette Darragh says the mood in the camp is positive even though they have fallen to Offaly in the group stages. ‘We played Offaly earlier this year and we got beat by four points however we never played to our potential. Hopefully it will be second time lucky and we believe we can do it. The Seniors and Minors going so well is great for Derry Camogie and it’s a credit to the work that is being done in the county. The clubs are doing great work and we are getting the benefits of it’.

Colette has said that there is also a great bond within the squad and that training is going well. ‘We have a good management team of Anne McNabb, Jimmy Mellon, Dypmna Duggan and Maura McCloy and the girls have been training really well. The girls are really focused and the morale in the squad is good. All the girls have come through the development squad system and play schools camogie together which has been a benefit when coming together. We are looking forward to the game’.

Armagh also goes into their Final with a path similar to Derry. Team manager Michael Murphy has said the Armagh girls are a tight knit bunch despite 10 clubs represented in the squad ‘Training has been good and the girls get on really well together. Many of the girls go to school together and that really helps the morale in the squad’.

On reflecting on their Semi-Final victory Michael reckons the hard fought victory will have prepared Armagh well. ‘We have had a tough game against Kerry in the Semi where we didn’t start the second half so well. Our backs were put under great pressure and our goalkeeper had a great game. We got through the tough patch and got some great goals from Aoibheann O’Hare to seal the victory. Westmeath had a big victory over Wicklow and they had a wide range of scorers and have a lot of good players so we will need to be prepared for the game’.  Armagh v Westmeath throws in at 1.30pm