Intermediate final awaits Saul Ladies

Intermediate final awaits Saul Ladies

2 October 2024

SAUL senior ladies are looking to make history again this coming Saturday as they go into their first ever Intermediate Football Championship final.

They will face off against St John’s in Teconnaught at 4pm. 

Saul are enjoying a bumper season so far with the team winning the Division 3 title, which included an unbeaten run to secure the honours, and being promoted to Division 2 for the first time in the club’s history.

But, there is still work to be done according to Saul Ladies captain Ella Rourke.

“It has been a wonderful season for us both in the league and championship, but as a team we are fully focused on the task at hand going into the final,” she said.

“The ladies have shown true commitment and ambition throughout the year and we have grown as a team. 

“The support we have had from the management team, committee, families and sponsors has been awesome and greatly appreciated by all the players.”

Saul’s run in the intermediate championship has had its challenges, but they have shown great strength during the group stages, winning all three games. 

The management team of Ryan Kelly, JP Burke, and Ciaran Dorrian had their work cut out as they had to manage a long delay from their last played league game on June 22 and the first Championship game on August 20. 

The ladies started their championship run winning comfortably against Teconnaught by a 19-point margin. 

Their second group game can be seen as a baseline for the final as they faced St John’s and in a close encounter Saul came home with the win by three points. 

To secure Saul’s place in the semi-final they completed a convincing win over Bredagh B with a 6-11 to 3-5 scoreline. 

The team has benefitted from a mixture of experience and youth this year with a number of younger players really stepping up to the challenge of intermediate standard and they have provided vital attacking options. 

The journey to the final had one more hurdle to overcome as they were drawn to play Clonduff. 

The semi-final was a fantastic experience for the ladies from both a physical and mental standpoint, and will stand them in good stead for the final, as they held onto a six-point lead over the Hilltown outfit to book their place in the final. 

Saul had a wait of three days before they knew who would be their opposition in the final as Ballymartin and St John’s played on the Tuesday, with St John’s getting the win. 

A win over St John’s will see Saul Ladies go into the Ulster Football Championship for the second time in their history, with their first experience coming after winning the Junior Championship in 2022.