Mitchels on the march towards All Ireland Final spot

LGFA: All Ireland IFC Semi-Final

The kingdom will come calling on Saturday afternoon, but Castlebar Mitchels will be the ones looking to claim the crown come the full-time whistle being blown

Castleisland Desmonds will be a serious test for Fintan Keane's battle hardened side - where just 60 minutes of football stands between them and a spot in the All Ireland Final.

Mitchels have been impressive right throughout their run to the Mayo championship, backing it up with a big 2-20 to 1-5 win over Louisburgh in the county final. They have kept that good form up through Connacht since then, seeing off Roscommon champions St Dominic's 1-12 to 1-5 in the provincial semi-final, before they hit Sligo champions Tourlestrane for 4-12 in the Connacht final just before Christmas.

That Connacht final win was all the more impressive by the way they pulled away in the second half, leading the game by 1-7 to 0-5 at the break they tagged on 3-5 in the second half to their opponents' 1-2, to charge home to victory.

Niamh Hughes was the star of the show that day for the Mitchels on the scoreboard, finishing up with 2-3, while Laura Brody and Evanna Lyons both hit the back of the net.

Mitchels have plenty of quality and experience to lean on going into this one, with the likes of Kathryn Sullivan, Danielle Caldwell, Orla Condon and Lisa McManamon all having plenty of senior inter-county experience to call on.

Sullivan and McManamon will be a key pairing around the middle third for Keane's side, with Caldwell and Conlon looking to lock down the defensive side of the game for their team, alongside Aoife Brady. Up front, Mitchels will be hoping that Hugs can carry forward her form from the Connacht final with the likes of Brody, Lyons and Anna Tuohy also hitting form in front of goal.

Standing in their way are a Castleisland Desmond side who pack a serious punch of their own. The Kerry champions have shown that they can both grit it out when it gets tough or run up a big score when the game is there to be taken.

They had to work hard to see off Limerick champions Monagee in the Munster final, edging that one by a point on a score of 1-5 to 0-7. Prior to that they had hit Tipperary champions Galtee Rovers/St Pecauns for 3-12 in the provincial semi-final and in the quarter final they had just two points to spare over Waterford side Kilrossanty Brickeys, winning that one 0-14 to 2-6.

Like the Mitchels, they have inter county experience to call upon for leadership, with both Lorraine Scanlon and Cáit Lynch former All Star winners for their performances for the Kerry senior side.

Scanlon will line out in the middle of the park, which will be a major battleground in this contest, while Lynch will be a player for them at the back and their team captain is goalkeeper Fiona Griffin.

Up front, the likes of Niamh Walsh, Paris McCarthy and Labhaoise Walmsley will be looking to keep the Mitchels defence on their toes. The game throws in in Munnelly Park at 1pm and is an all-ticket affair.

 

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