Seneschalstown aim to reign as queens of the modern age

A new pretender to the throne has emerged and next Saturday evening, 5.0, in Trim reigning queens of Meath football Seneschalstown will bid to see off the challenge of potential usurpers Boardsmill in what promises to be a thrilling Ladies SFC final. Since the latter years of the 1990s Seneschalstown have ruled supreme over the ladies footballing landscape in Meath. There have been a couple of occasions when they let their crown slip into the hands of eager young pretenders, but those rebellions have been few and far between and often short-lived. The Yellow Furze club have dominated senior football, winning 12 of the last 14 titles with only St Ultan's offering any change to the regime that has lorded ladies football. St Ultan's have been a sustained threat to Seneschalstown for the last decade, but in recent years new forces have tried to emerge to conquer the giants. Last year Na Fianna travelled to Ashbourne full of hope and endeavour, but their efforts fell short. This time around Boardsmill will aim to snatch the crown from the heads of the most potent force in Meath ladies football. Boardsmill will undoubtedly carry the major underdogs tag, but that is not something that will bother them. They wore that tag on many occasions over the last five years and still emerged victorious recording SFC and Feis Cup wins over St Ultan's and Feis Cup victories over Seneschalstown. However, Seneschalstown in championship regalia are a completely different animal. After losing four SFC semi-finals in succession and eventually making it to the top table, Boardsmill can be forgiven for feeling a sense of achievement in just making it to the final, but they will also feel that their time is now and with the rise of other clubs like Na Fianna, Oldcastle and Duleek/Bellewstown that this year may represent their best chance of achieving ultimate glory. Boardsmill have developed a superb underage structure over the last 10 years and that is now starting to pay rich dividends. The quality of their younger players has seen Emma Troy, Helen Regan, Aideen Guy, Laura Dempsey and Cliona Murray all make their way onto the county senior panel, while Ciara Dempsey can also be considered as a county player of quality. All that points to a perfect platform for Boardsmill. Add in the experience of Meath camogie stars Edel Guy and Katie Hackett, the acquisition of Donaghmore/Ashbourne pair Michelle Peel and Siofra Cleary and the excellence of others such as Ciara Ashe, Aoife Flynn, Eimear Murray, Laura Griffin and Suzy Kennedy it is clear to see why Boardsmill are considered as a major threat to Seneschalstown's crown. However, it would be pure folly to write off Seneschalstown. Even when they haven't been at the peak of their powers they have still proven to be too strong for most competitors and that is likely to be the case in Trim on Saturday evening. In players of the quality of Orla Sheridan, Fiona Mahon, Mary Sheridan, Louise McKeever, Mena Sheridan and Mary Sheridan they possess a wealth of talent and experience that every other club in the county can only admire. All of those girls have won countless county titles, but their hunger remains strong and they will take a lot of stopping. The list of their quality goes on. Roisin Nulty, Siobhan Sheridan, Ashbourne acquisition Hazel Dennedy and goalkeeper Louise Byrne are all key members of a side that were tested to their fullest by Oldcastle in their play-off before disposing of Na Fianna in the semi-final. Boardsmill shocked St Ultan's with a narrow one-point victory in their semi-final and that will give them hope. The Bertie McLoughlin trained Boardsmill side are a strong team still in development and they will win championships, but Seneschalstown are unwilling and unlikely to give up their crown just yet and their reign as Queens of the Modern Age is likely to continue for 12 more months....at least.