Dominic Gallagher insists on Mourneabbey player focus

Mourneabbey manager Dominic Gallagher reckons home advantage will count for little in tomorrow’s All-Ireland club ladies football semi-final against Kilkerrin/Clonberne (throw-in 1.30pm).

Mourneabbey capitalised on home advantage at this very juncture last year to overcome Mountmellick Sarsfields and advance to a first All-Ireland club decider. Travelling to North Cork on this occasion, however, are the much-vaunted Connacht champions.

“It is nice not to have to travel.

“There is a small bit of pressure at playing at home, though. You will get a great crowd and the girls won’t want to let anyone down,” Gallagher uttered.

“In the end, this will be decided by what happens inside the four white lines. We need to focus on what we want to do because they are a very good side.”

While the reigning Cork and Munster champions will look to Ciara, Roisin and Doireann O’Sullivan, Laura Fitzgerald and Sile O’Callaghan, Kilkerrin/Clonberne boast a similar array of inter-county talent. 2004 All-Ireland winning captain Annette Clarke is their spiritual leader, while Louise and Nicole Ward, Olivia Divilly and Sarah Gormally dominate their central spine.

“There are a lot of similarities between the teams. They are two very young squads. They have a lot of pace, a lot of power. We are both emerging squads.

“They have taken out Carnacon for the last two years in Connacht and Carnacon had dominated Connacht for the past 15 years before that. They are no flash in the pan team.

“We’ve had a long lay-off since the three games in eight days and the girls are looking forward to another big match.”