By Shaun Casey

TWELVE months on from defeating Moneyglass to reach an Ulster final, Niamh Henderson still looks back fondly on that semi-final. And this weekend, the pair will once again lock horns in another last-four battle.

Clann Éireann were much the better team last season and comfortably saw out a 2-13 to 0-7 victory on their way to winning the Ulster title for the very first time in their history. And they are intent on retaining their crown.

The Lurgan ladies have hammered both Emyvale and Kinawley to reach the semi-finals but are expecting a step up in class when they welcome the Antrim champions to Lurgan this weekend.

“I’ll always remember that game – you could maybe say that we actually put in a better performance in that Moneyglass game than we did in the final,” recalled Henderson of last year’s showdown.

“It was on our home pitch and it was our first time beating such a top team in Ulster. When we won that match, we just thought we could take on any team and that’s when we really had the belief in ourselves to go and win an Ulster title.

“We had an outstanding performance that day, all around the pitch, especially the likes of Clodagh (McCambridge), Niamh Coleman, Aoibheann Henderson – everybody just really stood up that day.

“I actually watched it back recently and we really put in some performance, but there has been a lot changes year-to-year with different teams.

“Even looking at ourselves, before we won our Ulster title we thought we were miles away from winning it.

“It just shows you how much can change in a year so we’re not expecting anything less than a really, really tough game. We wouldn’t be focusing on last year’s game; we’ll be going in with a clean sheet and knowing that they’re really going to put it up to us.”

It’s a great time for the Clann Éireann club at the minute, with both the senior men and ladies and minor boys preparing for Ulster competitions.

“The mood’s really positive at the minute, probably just all around the club,” added Armagh attacker Henderson.

“We were just so glad to get over our first two games, the first round and the quarter-final, where we had really, really good wins.

“Obviously with those last two away games, we were going to the opposition’s pitch and stuff, not knowing the ground, and that adds a wee bit of pressure. So, we’re glad we’ve got those two games out of the way and we’re looking forward to being on our home pitch.

“I think the past couple of games in Ulster, we just really put those teams away. Probably the first 10 or 15 minutes just went to plan, and I think that really stood by us then the rest of the game, just getting those early scores in.”