Slaughtneil's bid for treble glory begins

Slaughtneil’s bid to reach three All-Ireland finals this spring begins tomorrow, with the club’s senior camogie team squaring off against Burgess-Duharra in the All-Ireland semi-final (Inniskeen, 2pm).

With their hurlers and footballers in semi-final action over the coming weeks, Slaughtneil’s all-conquering camogie side will look to get the ball rolling with victory over the Munster champions.

Burgess-Duharra manager Darrell Tucker says his players must not get distracted by their opponents’ remarkable story.

“They are a huge club and what they did last year has to be really respected,” Tucker admitted. “They are on a roll and we’ll be trying to stop that on Sunday. We know the challenge so we have to be on top of our game.”

The Tipperary outfit are chasing their own fairytale ending having finally secured a first Muster title before Christmas – Jenny Grace, Tara Kennedy and Eimear McDonnell were to the fore in their 2-10 to 0-6 win over Inniscarra.

“There was massive relief after winning Munster,” Tucker continued. “We’d won five-in-a-row in Tipperary and had been knocking on the door in Munster for a number of years, falling short to Milford on a couple of occasions. It was fantastic to get the win and advance to a first All-Ireland semi-final. It is a huge occasion for our club, but we must concentrate on this challenge. If you look back over recent years, the teams that have come out of Ulster have run teams close.

“There was only a point in it a couple of years back between Eoghan Rua (Derry) and Milford. Last year, there was nothing in it between Killimor and Loughgiel. Hopefully, we can keep our show on the road.”

In the second semi-final at Birr, the four eldest daughters of former Galway hurler Michael Hopper McGrath – Niamh, Clodagh, Orlaith and Siobhan – lead Sarsfields against Leinster champions Thomastown, themselves led by the Farrell sisters, Shelly, Meighan, Anna and Eimear.