Ladies Season opens May 4th
Sunday May 4th Ladies football will take center stage at Gaelic Park with two games scheduled. After a busy off-season with the County team hosting the Underdogs and the Defence Forces team clubs were busy signing up new players and preparing for the season ahead. Unfortunately for Mayo Ladies former county champions the pressures of maintaining a team here became too much with the team deciding to fold after 14 years. Players were not the problem as 18 of the team transferred with 17 going to Na Fianna and one to Cavan. Na Fianna were the winners in the transfer market picking up 21 players with the return of 2006 Player of the year Mary O’Rourke from Waterford, Chrissie McSweeney, Stephanie Tierney and Marliese Fath all switching clubs and the Mayo players mixed in with their experienced players like Mags Ryan-Inwald, Alison Leyden, Jeannie Heinsohn, Jeanine Rynne, Mary McEvoy, Ashling Farrelly, Sue Hannon, Aileen Cunningham, Anne Murray, Monica Slevin, Anne Ryan-O’Flynn, Ger Lavery, Katrina Lynch, Mary and Marie Melly and rookie players Jessie Garcia, Lorraine Kelly and Jen Laurie from last year and they will be contenders for the Championship this year. Na Fianna also has new management on board with Galway native Ollie Flynn and Mayo native Tony McTigue putting the players through their paces.
Fermanagh signed up Kildare native Susie O’Connor who stayed on after last summer and Fiona Molloy joins them from Kerry/Donegal. They will be without Pamela McNally and Brenda Flanagan who returned to Ireland but will continue to build with a mix of Irish and American players. With Tracey-Ann McCullagh, Donna Quinn, Annmarie Kelly, Caitlyn Slattery, Claire McElroy, Noeleen Fitzpatrick, Fiona O’Dwyer, Katrina Coyle, Aisling Boyle Nicola King, Caitlyn McGuigan, Orla Groogan, Michelle Shanaghy, Joan Woods, Marie Dunleavy and Kelsie Boyle all returning for the new season, Fermanagh will be hoping to build on a successful season last year. They too have a new Manager on board with Cavan native Gary King assisted by Joe Shanaghy.
Cavan have found it difficult to field full teams at the start of the year however continue to dominate in this competition. This year Cavan have two new signings with former Cork player Marie O’Neill and Cavan native Caitriona Smith both transferring to the club. Both have good inter-county experience and will boost the Cavan team which will include many U-16 players; Katie McEvoy, Bridget Mulligan, Roisin Clarke, Caitlyn Hynes, Caroline McBrien, Katie Kilkenny and Ashley Callery will blend in with the experienced Rosie O’Reilly, Linda McKeon, Emma Clarke, Mary Maguire, Aimee Gomez and Kelly McArdle to make Cavan contenders for silverware again this year. Dessie O’Reilly and Frank Brady will continue training and managing this year.
Kerry/Donegal had one new transfer Michelle Brennan a Sligo native who transferred from the Parnell club in London. They continue to have a good mix of Irish and American players who have performed strongly over the past few seasons. In Tina Dengler they have a solid goal keeper but Soccer commitments make her unavailable for the start of the season. Aoife Gibson, Una Burke Colette McElligott, and Shuvaun Neville are strong defenders, with Michelle McVann, Denise Dunnion, Anita McKenna, Marie Cassells, and Kathleen Enright all blend well together. Kerry/Donegal were unlucky last year not to make it into the final last year. Donegal native Donal Dunnion is training Kerry/Donegal this year and after joining them last year really blended the team together.
Rockland have undergone a resurgence and won the Peter Connaughton Cup last year with a team consisting of a lot of their youth players and a mix of experience. They picked up Majella Woods from Fermanagh and Kate Coffey from Monaghan both who will bring experience to the club. They have lost the services of Anne Marie Maye and Lorraine Kiernan who both have retired and Marliese Fath who transferred to Na Fianna. The presence of stalwarts Jenny Kirby, Sharon Aiello, Jonnie Foley, Kerryann Galvin, Katie McGrath, Janet Mordeci, Fionnula O’Hanlon along with youth players Ailish and Sarah Rowley, Blaithin Loughran, Mary Anne Gormley, Devon McGurk, Shanna Woods and Nicole Weir who returns after a injury last year will leave Rockland tough opposition this year. Emmett Woods, Club President will take the reins as Team Coach, assisted by Pauline O’Connor, Paddy Gormley and Frank Rowley.
Sunday May 4th : Gaelic Park
1:00pm: Na Fianna Vs Fermanagh. Both these teams go head to head this year with Fermanagh winning both these encounters last year. However Na Fianna have re-built their squad this year and will be tough to handle.
2:30pm: Cavan Vs Rockland: This game will feature a lot of the up and coming stars in Ladies Gaelic football here in New York with both teams fielding a lot of U-16 and minor players.
Wednesday May 7th: Gaelic Park
7:30pm: Kerry/Donegal Vs Rockland. The ladies will get the mid-week schedule underway with a tough encounter between both these teams.
Elsewhere off the field New York Ladies will hold a Fundamentals Coaching course in Gaelic Park on Saturday May 3rd with a “Grab your Whistle and Go” Referees seminar on May 3rd and 4th in Manhattan College. For further information Contact Nollaig @ (917) 407-9939 or Pauline @ (914) 439-5891 or to keep up to date with Ladies football check out the website at www.nyladiesgaa.com
