BALLYVOURNEY club Naomh Abán go in search of provincial glory in Saturday’s Munster LGFA junior A final against Limerick champions Oola in Mallow at 5pm.
The county JAFC champions are the last remaining Cork representative in Munster LGFA competitions.
Similar to their provincial final opponents, Noel McDonagh’s side are yet to taste a championship defeat this year. Naomh Abán produced a string of impressive displays to win the 2022 Cork junior A title, culminating in a 4-6 to 1-10 defeat of O’Donovan Rossa in the decider.
Since then, hard-earned Munster victories over Moycarkery-Borris (Tipperary) and Comeragh Rangers (Waterford) have qualified Naomh Abán for Saturday’s showdown with Oola.
‘Preparations have been good and we pushed on with training over the last week or so,’ Naomh Abán captain Una Twohig told The Southern Star.
‘The vibe is good within the camp, there are no injuries and we are heading into this Munster final in pretty good shape.
‘We have been focusing on ourselves as it is a different ball game when you get out of the (Cork) county championship. You play the same Cork teams every year and know them inside out.
‘When you get out into the Munster championship, you only hear dribs and drabs about your upcoming opponents. Noel (Mc Donagh, manager) is very good in that he gives us one or two things and we focus on our own gameplan.
‘We know how good we can play, and once we execute our game plan, that we are a good team.’
Naomh Abán will need to execute whatever gameplan manager Noel McDonagh comes up with.
That’s because Naomh Abán’s opponents, Oola, deserve every bit of respect having come through their Limerick and Munster championships undefeated.
‘We watched Oola’s (Munster) semi-final win and they are a very similar team to us,’ Twohig commented.
‘That’s why our championship games against O’Donovan Rossa and Dohenys will stand to us. Against Oola, we will have to search for something deep inside us to push through.
‘Come Saturday, if the weather isn’t great, it comes down to whoever wins the breaking ball. I have confidence in our girls. Yes, Oola are very good, very similar to us but we have gained a lot of experience from winning games this year.’
