De La Salle make the jump up to senior provincial level today..
Drom & Inch come to Gracedieu for the Munster Senior Camogie Semi-final. with the Tipperary Champions boasting plenty of experience at Munster level, while this is an entirely new experience for Salle.
Having toppled the long-dominant Gailltír in the county final a fortnight ago, they will now be rewarded with a home semi.
The county final has been a long time in the making - with the club still in its infancy. 15 years ago the club was formed and in the last few years they have featured in three county finals, winning at the third time of asking.
Gailltír denied them in 2018 and again last year when a single point held them at arms length by the full-time whistle.
The 2022 final however brought an end to the wait for county honours. A two-point win over the barony girls marked the turning point for Conor O'Toole's charges. A second-half goal from 16-year-old Maggie Gostl provided the impetus on the day, with All-Stars Beth Carton, Brianna O Regan and Abby Flynn all putting in match-winning performances. Player of the match Keeley Corbett Barry shot a point in the second half that would be well suited to any roll of honour of scores bagged at Carriganore.
Speaking to WLR Sport this week, selector John Mullane says the 2018 county final loss was the moment that spurred him on to get involved. "Four years ago when they lost that first county title - they lost by a point - you're down on the field in the aftermath of it and you're seeing tears and pain. You're seeing real pain. I was thinking, Jesus I'd like to be involved in one day trying to get those girls over the line."
Mullane's celebrations at the SETU Arena show the investment he has made in this team. He ran around like a wild man, jumping and hugging whoever came close to him. He may as well have been out on the pitch playing such was the explosion of emotion from the five-time All-Star hurler.
While the county title was always a goal for Salle, Mullane says that he had set a loftier target very early on. With the players at their disposal, he says that All-Ireland titles have been his target from day one, "Long before we won a county title I said 'I want to win a club All-Ireland in the next four of five years'. The lads said I was made, and I said 'No, I'm not mad. If you don't think big, you won't achieve big'. That's the way Gailltír think, that's the way Ballygunner think. They're not thinking about county titles - they're thinking about Munster clubs, they're thinking about All-Irelands."
If De La Salle are to book themselves a place in the Munster final they will need to put a very able Drom & Inch team to bed this Saturday.
The Tipperary Champions have been well-tested at this level in the last three years, featuring in the finals for 2019, 2020 and 2021.
They lost to Scariff-Ogonnelloe by two points in 2019, they claimed the provincial title in 2020 beating Clare's Inagh Kilnamona by a single point while they had a taste of their own medicine a year later when the Clare side returned the favour with a one-point victory.
Mullane knows all too well how good their opponents are this weekend. He's been watching their games tracking back through the streams to find a few chinks in the armour, and while he knows the task they face - he hasn't lost sight of what De La Salle have to offer, "they are a very good side, but hey, look, we're a good side too. You've got Brianna O' Regan, Keeley Corbett Barry, Abby Flynn - they're four county players with three All-Stars. I can throw in other girls Alannah McNulty with an incredible future ahead of her and Courtney [Healy] our captain the names can roll off my tongue. What we have this year is a good panel."
Having been in three finals in three years and only winning one, the Tipp champs will be out for blood on Saturday at Gracedieu. If Salle are to climb to the top of the mountain they will need every player to turn up. The All-Stars in the squad will need to have their shot-stopping and shooting boots laced and ready to go, but if they perform as they did two weeks ago, they have a fantastic opportunity to make a bit of history for a club which is yet to reach its second decade in existence.
Throw-in on Saturday at Gracedieu is at 2 pm, and WLR will be bringing you live commentary from 1.45 thanks to Supermacs Barronstrand Street, Dunmore Road and Cork Road.
