Kilmessan on the verge of a major breakthrough

So here they are again with Kilmessan back in another All-Ireland Club Junior camogie final, but this time there is more than just another national title or piece of silverware up for grabs - at least as far as Meath champions are concerned. 

They take on Four Roads (Roscommon) at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday, 2.15pm, and if they win, as they should, they will have done their county considerable service.

A victory will ensure the team that claims the Meath senior title next year will have the opportunity to play in the intermediate ranks at provincial and national levels in 2019. That leaves the door open for another Meath club to replace Kilmessan in the junior ranks. 

Not that the Kilmessan players will be thinking about what might or might not happen next year. No doubt their focus since they defeated Clanmaurice in Nenagh in the All-Ireland semi-final has been on the one objective - defeating Four Roads who conquered Crosserlough in the last four.  

Manager John Watters would have it no other way. He knows that there is no team, no matter how experienced, no matter how talented, that can afford to go into any game without being fully focused on the task in hand, especially an All-Ireland final. Complacency, he knows, is a one-way ticket to a downfall. 

 That's one of the reasons for believing Kilmessan can defeat the Roscommon side in Sunday's All-Ireland final - and bag that prized second successive junior crown. They will be taking nothing for granted. 
There are other reasons for Kilmessan to be optimistic about Sunday's game. The team still has that tenacity, drive, a bouncebackability that has helped them get over considerable hurdles on their way to booking a place in Sunday's showdown. 
Take their game against Raharney in the Leinster Junior Club final in late October.
Down seven points at one stage they stuck at their task, found a foothold and discovered a way to win with the help of a late, late Kelly Gorman point.
That's real tenacity, real steel. 
Granted, in that contest Kilmessan relied on some slices of luck that were to prove crucial. Raharney, for instance, missed some good goal chances. Kilmessan goalkeeper Ann Marie Dennehy also had to make a couple of sharp saves.  
That will to win was also evident in the victory over Clanmaurice in the All-Ireland semi-final. For much of the opening half in that game the Kerry side - with a stiff breeze as an ally - exerted considerable and sustained pressure.
Once again Dennehy made some good saves. Crucially, however, the Kilmessan defence was sturdy, strong and resolute. They will need to be again on Sunday. 
In the second-half Kilmessan upped their game. They hunted in packs, put more pressure on any Clanmaurice players. They will need to play that 'in-your-face' pressure game from the start against Four Roads. 
It was something of a surprise that the game was fixed for Pairc Tailteann - a decision that surely gives Kilmessan a huge advantage. 
Four Roads officials have expressed dismay at the choice of a Meath venue for the game.
Aileen Donnelly, who won a remarkable 16th Meath senior camogie medal this year, described the decision to schedule it at the Brews Hill venue as "brilliant."
Most of the Kilmessan players, she says, will have played there at one time or the other, in either football or camogie. 
"It's great that our supporters don't have to travel and we don't have to travel, it's a huge advantage, the pitch is one of the best in the country for camogie so it's another reason to look forward to it," she said. 
Kilmessan and Four Roads have previous history of course. Kilmessan won their first Leinster title in 2010 and played Four Roads at a Roscommon venue in the All-Ireland semi-final. On that occasion Kilmessan lost out, but according to Donnelly it proved to be a real awakening for her team in terms of the physical intensity they came up against. 
The sides met again in 2014 as Kilmessan surged on to win their first All-Ireland junior title but since then Four Roads have slipped into the background, making a reappearance this year.
"Athleague seemed to take over for a few years, but Four Roads are back this year and that indicates they have a young team, that they are building again. We certainly won't be taking them for granted," added Donnelly.
That kind of approach will be music to the ears of Watters who knows his side can improve on their Clanmaurice display.
After that game he pointed to how he was impressed with the way his team "hassled, hooked and blocked" particularly in the second-half, forcing a series of turnovers.
However, he also did make reference to the fact that their was a considerable amount of luck attached to both goals scored by Kilmessan in that game. 
He will be looking, no doubt, for a bigger return from his talented set of forwards in the final.
Like other teams, Four Roads are likely to employ a sweeper system to try and curb the threat from the reigning champions.
Just another challenge for Watters and his charges as they seek to make a big breakthrough for Kilmessan - and Meath camogie.