Derry on brink of perfect season

Meabh McGoldrick (R), Derry, in action against Rosemary Hannafin, Tipperary

THE MOST exciting All-Ireland Intermediate final for many years looks set to be played out on the hallowed turf of Headquarters this weekend when Derry and Galway go head to head for the All-Ireland crown.

Galway looked impressive as they topped group two of the Intermediate Championship series unbeaten, with three wins and a draw from their four games. The only blip on their record was a 2-9 each draw with Tipperary when both sides were already through to the last four.

They came past Waterford in the semi-final on a final scoreline of 1-14 to 0-13, with Emma Kilkelly their top scorer with 1-3 to her credit, but it is at the other end of the field where the Tribeswomen will know they really need to perform if they are to put the shackles of free-flowing Derry attack.

They hit 3-16 past Tipperary in their semi-final clash, Tipp managing just six points in reply to complete what was a very impressive day’s work from the Oak Leaf girls.

Karen Kielt was their chief markswoman with a personal tally of 1-4 over the hour, but the most striking aspect was that the scoring burden was shared between seven different Derry scorers.

It was just the latest step in what has been a hugely impressive season so far for the Ulster side. They strolled through the Championship group stages, three straight wins and having conceded an incredibly low tally of just 25 points along the way, and averaging almost 23 points a game themselves.

Already this season they have laid claim to the National League Division Two title, courtesy of a resounding 2-11 to 0-6 victory over Meath in the decider having also gone through their league campaign with straight wins.

The full story is in the current issue of Gaelic Life, published on Thursday September 13. Buy your copy now in your local newsagent, or you can purchase the online version – for only 90p – by clicking here