Preview of Tesco Home Grown Inter Championship Final 2012
- Aug 23,2012
St Sylvester's ladies football manager Brian Sullivan admits that he could never have envisaged the massive strides his side have made since separating from their amalgamation with Naomh Mearnog.
Paired with their Portmarnock neighbours, the Malahide women reached the senior county final in 2009 before reverting back to a single entity in 2010. It meant starting well down the junior ranks but the side has performed wonders ever since, reaching a county final in their first season before claiming the Dublin and Leinster junior crowns in 2011.
They have carried that momentum through to this year and now stand on the brink of senior football and face Parnells on Friday night in Parnell Park (7pm) for the county's intermediate title.
It has been an incredible journey for Sullivan and his young stars and one that has surpassed all expectations to date.
"We really didn't know when we restarted what depth we would have and how the girls would react," he told GazetteSport. "In our first year back, we lost a county final but that started to build the hunger and momentum. We had a lot of girls 15, 16 or 17 coming up who had never played with the older girls.
"A couple of years have helped them bond and bridge that gap. From a footballing perspective, they know each other for two or three years. We definitely surprised ourselves but we have now played so many high profile matches, it has just gelled the whole thing and we're hoping to go from strength to strength."
Chief among the side's attributes have been a nucleus of intercounty players with Sinead Aherne the fulcrum of the attack while Nicole Owens has emerged as a key player, rising through the Jackies Aisling McGing team, to join the senior panel.
In total, nine Syl's players have been part of intercounty panels in 2012, making for some disruption to the continuity of training but Sullivan says it has been a key factor in developing more of the club's youth.
"When you have so many players, you can become victim of your own success. We had nine girls involved in intercounty teams so it can be difficult. You don't really have them training and only get them for some matches so it's hard to get momentum.
"But we're fortunate we have a strong juvenile structure. There was a huge amount of work done five or six years ago to build the juvenile end of it. For the last number of years, we've been able to bring four or five players through that are capable of playing at this level. The volume coming through the U-14 and U-16 teams means the conveyor belt is strong.As for Parnells, he is wary of the strong threat they pose in Friday's final: "They lost two of the last three intermediate finals so they have experience of playing at that level and in Parnell Park.
"They're physically strong and have a smattering of current and ex-Dublin county players as well as county players from outside of Dublin so we're under no illusions. They'd be hot favourites."
Stephen Findlater
www.gazettegroup.com
