The 2021 Munster intermediate champions Gailltír will be looking to book their place in the All-Ireland final this weekend when they face the Galway champions in Abbotstown.
The 2019 champions - who due to last year's Championship not being played - are the de-facto defending intermediate champions in 2021.
Speaking to WLR Sport this week, Captain Margo Heffernan says that the team are as ready as they'll ever be ahead of throw-in, but their Galway opponents will provide some very tough challenges for them in Dublin.
"I guess we're as prepared as we can be, we had a good run in Munster obviously, against Thurles [Sarsfields] they were a good physical team, and that's what we're expecting Clarinbridge to be tomorrow as well. They have some serious names on their team that have definitely caught our eye. You don't get to All-Ireland semi-finals without having a balanced team, so we're not taking anything for granted. We'd be particularly interested in Carrie Dolan who is often on the frees for the Galway senior ladies, and they have a couple of other girls - Niamh Niland and more besides that have played in around the Galway senior team or if not at the very very least, they've been on successful intermediate teams with Galway. So they'll be plenty experienced, even though this may be new territory for them with the club. They have lots of lots of girls who have played at the crunch end of championships."
While Orla Murphy's team never had the chance to defend their intermediate crown last year, the returning championship for 2021 offers them the chance to show where they have grown.
"We're a young team and every day we go out training or playing a match, we're looking to learn and add another little bit and another little bit. I think that translates in our games, because definitely this year, we've been on the up and the up. I feel like we've been making improvements all along, which is what you want to be doing. You want to be building all the time because you don't want to be playing your best games and come to this knockout stage and have nothing more to give."
For Gailltír, who have been so dominant within the county, these trips in Munster and beyond give them something new to aim for, with a fresh challenge and new standard to hit, but Heffernan remarks that motivation is not something they are short on.
"We're always looking for another little bit out of ourselves - it's very self-motivated, I would have to say. Coming out of the county, the big challenge will be with the young team, we have girls that are away; scattered around the country in different colleges. We love being together then. We really push ourselves in that time because it's not easy to organise. We appreciate the effort that everyone makes to gather. That really steals us I think, and we get a lot of ourselves when we come to training on the pitch; that really stands to us when it comes to match days."
Clarinbridge come to this encounter boasting strength and depth in their ranks - and as pointed out by Heffernan - players who have plied their trade at the top level of the intercounty game. While the temptation is always their to "focus on ourselves", the captain says that you can't ignore the talent that faces you on match day - and it must be part of your consideration.
"You can't be ignorant to the fact that teams play with different styles and that if you try to play your own game it mightn't necessarily work. You have to adapt and I think that's what we've been able to show this year; that we can adapt to the challenge that's in front of us. We're getting better at how quickly we transition. But our on-field management is good you know; when I'm playing with the girls we solve problems or we figure out what needs to be done. You do have to respect what's in front of you as well, but keep your mind on your own game too - you can't be ruled by it. You have to go out and play your own game, of course, but you can only do that if you've assessed what's in front of you."
Gailltír will get underway for their All-Ireland Semi-Final in Abbotstown tomorrow (Sunday, December 19th) from 2 o clock.
We will live updates throughout the game on WLR.
