Littlewoods Ireland National Camogie League, Division Two final
Antrim v Down (Owenbeg, Saturday, 5pm, live on Littlewoods GAA Twitter)
 
HAVING come through their Division Two campaign in perfect style, Antrim’s camógs will hope to finish the job with the title at Owenbeg on Saturday when they face on familiar rivals, Down.

This is the latest instalment of their rivalry with Down getting the better of the Saffrons in December’s All-Ireland Intermediate final, but Antrim gained the upper hand in the opening League fixture this season with Caitrín Dobbin’s goal crucial in a 1-13 to 0-13 win.

Both counties defeated Derry to reach the knockout stages and then advanced through the knockout stages to ensure they will meet for the Division Two honours.

Dobbin was again the hero for Antrim at the weekend with a late winner to defeat Meath in a game they seemed in control of before the Royals fought back and took a late lead, but Róisín McCormick levelled matters before Dobbin struck.

Down got the better of Wexford by two to join their Ulster rivals in the decider and will be keen to make up for their opening defeat to Antrim, but the young Saffrons will be determined to prevent this and make up for the Intermediate final defeat last year.

“Down surprised a lot of people as I thought Wexford would have went through there, but they ground it out,” said Antrim joint-manager, Jim McKernan.

“It will be interesting to see how we get on, but we’ll just focus on our own strengths. We have a very young team, whereas Down would be a bit more experienced, so there is a bright future for this team.

“The game is fixed for Saturday in Owenbeg, so that suits us. We’re in a good place, the team’s confident but it will be a massive challenge against Down.”

Those two group wins against Down and Derry preceded a three-point victory over Galway in the quarter-finals before Saturday’s victory against Meath.

The games have come thick and fast given the late start to the season and whilst that has helped build momentum, it has also come at a cost with some injuries to key players.

“The first game was Down who beat us in the Intermediate (final last year) so that was a good incentive to kick it all off,” added the Sarsfield’s man.

“We had a tough game against Derry up in Owenbeg, probably the best we’ve played all year, but the games have gone ‘bang, bang, bang’ (quickly).

“I’d prefer it like that, but unfortunately when you are picking up injuries there is no recovery time for the players.

“Chloe Drain, an Allstar last year, it out with a broken jaw. Last year’s captain, Maeve Connolly has a groin injury, so we have had to rely on the depth of the panel and have done well. That’s two national finals we’ve been in over the last six months, so we’re doing something ok.”

This Antrim team has grown as their journey continues and that was epitomised by the victory over Meath at the weekend.

When the Royals came at them in the second period and snatched a late lead, there was no letting the heads drop as Antrim found a way and that mental toughness will be crucial against a Down team on Saturday that has been the dominant force in Ulster of late.

“They kept coming back at us and our defence, which has been great all year, really stood up,” McKernan offered.

“Catriona Graham in nets made an amazing catch to clear, we got level and then turned the ball up the field for Caitrín (Dobbin) to fire the winner, so overall it was a good performance. They are digging in and going right to the end.”

Antrim players celebrate their semi-final win over Meath
2Gallery

Antrim players celebrate their semi-final win over Meath

There is a huge feel-good factor throughout the county given the exploits of the hurlers and footballers, with the camógs also playing their part and will be keen to finish their League campaign with silverware.

Indeed, there is something of a crossover with team captain Lucia McNaughton a sister to senior hurling star James and there is a sense the varies teams are feeding off each other’s success.

“Everywhere you look at the minute, whether the hurlers or footballers winning, it’s all good PR,” noted McKernan.

“It’s great to see all these results coming through.”

Another positive for camogie in the county is the formation of a Junior team that competed in Division Four of the League.

Those players performed admirably and were so close to reaching the knockout stages, but a one-point loss to Tyrone in their opener proved to be their undoing in Group One with a victory over Wicklow not enough to secure progress after defeat in their second fixture against Cavan.

That team will help develop more players capable of making the step up to the senior team and McKernan believes that will help further strengthen the game in the county.

“It was good for them to have those three games,” he acknowledged.

“They lost early on to Tyrone and that probably did them out of a playoff, but they are doing a good job.

“The idea of the Division Four team is to see what there is and if we can unearth more players, so it’s been a great initiative and hopefully it can get stronger.”