Seneschalstown go for ninth

There is a familiar look about next Sunday's Ladies SFC final at Ratoath, but it would be a brave punter that would bet on a predictable outcome as St Ultan's will be aiming to break Seneschalstown's stranglehold on the title. The Yellow Furze girls have been the queens of ladies football since 2000 and claimed eight of the last nine senior titles. St Ultan's are the only side to have broken their stranglehold with a surprise victory in 2004. Seneschalstown will deservedly wear the favourites tag, but that is more because of their fearsome reputation rather than form going into the game. A few cracks have started to appear in the mighty Seneschalstown armour and St Ultan's, who have been in sublime form, will be eager to capitalise on any slip ups. However, they would be foolish to take Seneschalstown lightly. Any aspirations that Seneschalstown would have an easy ride to retain their title were given a sharp shock on Saturday last when Boardsmill came within a whisker of dumping the champions out of the race. That type of a scare might be just what Seneschalstown needed. St Ultan's will go into Sunday's final on the back of a 6-14 to 0-3 victory over a fancied Donaghmore / Ashbourne side. They shouldn't take Seneschalstown for granted and despite having many seriously talented players they will have to work very hard to claim their second title. St Ultan's were devastating in their progression to the final. They coasted against Blackhall Gaels, Boardsmill and Dunboyne in the group stages before hammering Donaghmore / Ashbourne in the semi-final and they will fancy their chances. With players of the calibre of Ger Doherty, Elaine Duffy, Shauna Bennett, Anna Mullen, Katie O'Brien and Aimee Bennett, St Ultan's have serious firepower. They are no slouches either at the back where Tara Newman and Mary O'Brien contribute to a solid rearguard. Seneschalstown will have to be at the peak of their powers to win, but a quick glance through their panel reveals well-known names with plenty of inter-county experience and that may be the key. That greater experience saw Seneschalstown through against Boardsmill and after an easy run through the group stages with wins over St Michael's, Donaghmore / Ashbourne and Royal Gaels the tough test in the semi-final might have been the type of game they needed ahead of a final. There is no shortage of attacking options for Seneschalstown with Grainne Nulty, Eimear O'Carroll and Fiona Mahon likely to carry the bulk of the scoring responsibility. Siobhain Sheridan and Mary Sheridan form a strong midfield and with outstanding defenders like Louise McKeever, Philomena Sheridan and Debbie Mangan they might just have too much muscle for St Ultan's to master. SHIELD Following the disappointment of their semi-final exits Donaghmore / Ashbourne and Boardsmill will return to action at Ratoath on Sunday to contest the Shield final, which is essentially a play-off for third and fourth places. Neither side will be in the right frame of mind following their semi-finals, but Donaghmore / Ashbourne should be particularly anxious to erase the memory of their last four hammering by St Ultan's. Boardsmill put in a brave performance against Seneschalstown, but ultimately fell short and they might struggle to muster two big games in a row. When the sides met in the early stages of the league Donaghmore / Ashbourne recorded an easy win and that form might still give them the edge. Verdict - Donaghmore / Ashbourne. JFC The first game on the triple bill at Ratoath on Sunday will see Clann na nGael take on Oldcastle in the Ladies JFC final. Both sides will have a reasonable chance of victory with Oldcastle looking to their strong contingent of u-16 players which includes Kellie Allen and Bridgetta Lynch to see them through. Clann na nGael also have a healthy mix of youth and experience and with players of the quality of Shannon McDonagh, Vivienne McCormack and Blaithnaid Canty they might possess too much class. Verdict - Clann na nGael.