It may be the last weekend in the AIL Women’s Division, but there is still plenty to play for this Saturday. With Blackrock College and Railway Union facing off in the Top 4 Final and Suttonians playing Galwegians in the Conference Final, there are still three other games to be played to decide the final table.
Wicklow RFC v Ballincollig, Saturday 26th February, Tanner Park, 2:30pm.
The first match of this weekend’s finals is the 3rd/4th place play off in the Conference Section between the two AIL season debutants. Despite a difficult start to the season, Wicklow ended their campaign with a flurry of wins. The Garden County side have shown the rest of the league that their young squad have the ability to cause most of the squads around the country some trouble on their day.
Ella Roberts, Beth Roberts, Vicky Elmes Kinlan and Lucy Mulhall have shown their class over the past couple of weeks and there’s no doubt that should the quartet be on form this Saturday, a third placed finish for Wicklow could be a real possibility.
Ballincollig narrowly defeated Wicklow a couple of weeks back by a score line of 14-17. Collig have also surprised many teams across the division with a number of standout performers this season. Lauren Fahey and Heather Kennedy have shown their class in the backline throughout the campaign while Denise Redmond, Gillian Coombes and Kaetlyn Fleming have been instrumental in the pack for the Cork club.
Cooke v Malone, Saturday 26th February, Shaws Bridge, 5pm.
The game between two of Ulster’s biggest clubs will be a match that neither will want to lose, with a place at the bottom of the AIL standings waiting for the beaten side. Cooke and Malone both ended the Division 1 campaign before Christmas in 7th and 8th place respectively, but both teams have seen their form take a dramatic slip since the introduction of the Conference Competition.
Cooke did beat Malone last week by a score of 31-3, but there’s no doubt that Malone will be eager to show some extra attacking flair to their game plan this weekend. Cooke’s Lucy Thompson, Dolores Hughes and Teah Maguire have shown glimpses of class during the season while forwards Beth Cregan, Helen McGhee and Ilse Van Staden have also been in good form.
Meanwhile for Malone, Emma Catherine Jordan and Holly Brannigan’s link up in the backline is a recipe for success and will no doubt cause Cooke problems if they find the pair in space this weekend. Neve Jones has also proved to be a vital player for her side in recent games and should the trio find form this weekend, a win for Malone could be on the cards.
UL Bohemian v Old Belvedere, Saturday 26th February, Energia Park, 7:30pm.
Belvo will be looking to show similar form to last weekend in their game against UL Bohemian. Tries from Sene Naoupu, Elise O’Byrne White and two from Aine Donnelly sealed a 22-12 victory for the Ollie Campbell Park outfit. Old Belvedere have had several players throughout the season who have impacted games on numerous occasions.
Jenny Murphy, Fiona Tuite and Sene Naoupu have all been threats in the backline for Belvo while Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird and Ciara O’Dwyer have been fantastic in the back row.
Two of UL Bohemian’s stand out performers from this season, Eimear Considine and Chloe Pearse did get themselves on the scoresheet, but it wasn’t enough to deny Belvo their first win since the turn of the new year. UL Bohs had a fantastic start to their AIL campaign, finishing level on points with Railway Union at the top of the table before the league separated after Christmas.
Much of that form before Christmas came through some great performances from props Chloe Pearse and Fiona Reidy with Sarah Garrett and Sarah Quin vital to their side throughout the season. Sadly, for the Limerick side, their form staggered during the Top 4 campaign and won just one game during the new league campaign.
Luke Delaney
Luke is a final year Journalism student in DCU. He is a Sports Reporter for Wicklow People Sport and FinalWhistle.ie.