AIL Preview: Women’s Division Round 9

The halfway point of the Energia All Ireland Women’s Division season is upon us, leaders Railway Union will be out to continue this impressive unbeaten run. Wicklow remain on the hunt for top four as they take on Cooke, while UL Bohemian have not played in almost a month and have two games in quick succession. 

Old Belvedere v Tullow, Saturday December 14th, Ollie Campbell Park, 12:30pm

For the first time Tullow travel to Ollie Campbell Park to face Old Belvedere in the All Ireland League, the visitors still on the hunt for their first points.

Belvo are flying of late and while their season began with three painful defeats, this weekend could be a sixth win in succession for Tania Rosser’s charges. Free scoring of late, their lowest haul of points came at the weekend, when they only grabbed five tries against Galwegians. Emma Tilly led the charge that day with a hat trick.

Tullow to their credit are still fighting away despite still not getting their first result in the competition. They battled well with Blackrock in the opening half last weekend, but faded away in the second. Grace Kelly got on the score sheet that day, she has four tries to her name this season.

Blackrock College v Suttonians, Saturday December 14th, Stradbrook, 1pm

In the Dublin derby in Stradbrook, Blackrock will look to avenge their defeat to Suttonians back in March as they pair meet for the first time since. 

Rock currently sit third and have been getting their results since two defeats in their opening three games. Andy Adams’ charges have won their last five games and will certainly have confidence on their side going into this game.

When Suttonians claimed victory last March it was a great achievement for the team when it looked like the would fold at the start of the season. Claiming a 17-5 win on the day was a great result and after giving a walkover to UL Bohemain last weekend, they suffered a five-point deduction. Sutts will be looking for a positive experience this weekend. 

Galwegians v UL Bohemian, Saturday December 14th, Crowley Park, 2:30pm

Having not played a game in almost a month, UL Bohemian have two games in quick succession this week. First they travel to play Galwegians on Saturday, before facing Tullow on Tuesday evening.

Wegians lost by 53 points when the pair met at this very venue back in February, and these recent fixtures have been far from kind. Bohs will be the fourth top four team in a row they have faced, as they come into this tie suffering defeats in their last four. Last winning a game at the end of October.

The Red Robins will be fresh coming into this tie, the 16th of November the last time they played a game away to Wicklow. Now with fresh legs on board, they might have a degree of rustiness on their side. Fiona Hayes’s charges will fear no one as the Celtic Challenge is around the corner they will want points on the board.

Railway Union v Ballincollig, Saturday December 14th, Willow Lodge, 2:30pm

The unbeaten force that is Railway Union are flying this season and with how strong they have been to generate their scores, Ballincollig will have to be at their best to stop this ferocious attack.

Having tallied 82 tries approaching the halfway point in the season, teams have found this dominant attack tough to contain this season. Amanda Berta tops the scoring charts with 11 tries and a personal tally of 83 points, 28 clear of Megan Edwards in second. They are the team to beat.

Four defeats in a row now for Collig, they have a very tough task on their hands to end this fruitful run that Railway have been on. Having suffered a 46-10 defeat at this venue last year, the Leesiders will be hopeful of turning things around heading into the new year. 

Wicklow v Cooke, Saturday December 14th, Ashtown Lane, 5pm

Battles between Wicklow and Cooke have been tight in recent seasons, four points this weekend would mean a lot to both, especially Cooke, who sit second from bottom in the standings.

After claiming an impressive 44 point win at home yo Ballincollig last weekend, it is another home tie for Wicklow that they look to turn into points. Climbing into fifth following their exploits last weekend, they have sights on the top four and this is a big game for them as they travel to Belfast in the new year.

You have to go back to December of 2021 for the last time Cooke defeated Wicklow in this Division. That came at Ashtown Lane, with Cooke winning by the minimum, 20-19. Since then they haven’t been able to pick up a result, but have come close, notably last November’s three point loss in Shaw’s Bridge. A win here would be a massive Monkey off the back for Cooke.

UL Bohemian v Tullow, Tuesday December 17th, Annacotty, 7:30pm

Once the weekend’s action is over, attention turns to Annacotty on Tuesday evening, with UL Bohs and Tullow playing their second games in a matter of days.

Squad rotation will be key for both teams, Bohs are on the road to Wegians, while Tullow have an away trip to Dublin to face Old Belvedere. A first meeting between the two will certainly be an interesting clash.

With a lot of Bohs players playing Celtic Challenge next weekend, we might not see many line out on Tuesday, with that in mind Fiona Hayes could be looking at plenty of rotation, Nicole Cronin is a welcome return named on the bench for the Wegians game.

Tullow will not see any players depart for the competition but will still have a tough task on their hands. After their clash with Belvo it won’t get easier with UL Bohs, if they deliver a strong showing against Belvo, they will have confidence going into this one.

Diarmuid Kearney is a freelance Sports Journalist based in Co Kerry. He has more than 5 years experience covering domestic and international soccer for different media organisations, while also working for local and national print and digital organisations covering GAA.

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