Ladies' football finals previewed

TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship final

Cork v Monaghan, Croke Park, 4.00pm

In a repeat of the 2008 final, Cork take on Monaghan to determine the 2011 Senior All-Ireland Championship. Both sides were convincing winners in their respective provincial championships and have continued to impress in the All-Ireland series.

The Rebelettes overcame reigning champions Dublin in the quarter-finals before defeating Laois in the semi-finals. Monaghan on the other hand, got the better of Meath and Kerry in the All-Ireland series to secure their place in the final, as the Farney County go in search of their first All-Ireland title since 1997.

Both sides have impressed from one to 15 this season. Sharon Courtney, Therese McNally and Ciara McAnespie have impressed for Monaghan, while Cork’s Amy O’Shea, Anne Marie Walsh and Rhona Ní Bhuachalla have all stood out.

Monaghan got the better of Cork when the two sides met earlier this season in the league, but considering Cork have won five of the past six All-Ireland Senior Championships, it is hard to look past the Munster Champions to claim yet another All-Ireland title.

Cork: E Harte, AM Walsh, A Walsh, D O' Reilly, B Corkery, B Stack, G O’ Flynn, J Murphy, R Buckley, N Cleary, M Kelly, G Kearney, V Mulcahy, R Ní Bhuachalla, A O’ Shea (c).

Monaghan: L Martin, G McNally, S Courtney (c), C Reilly, A McAnespie, N Fahy, L Connolly, A Casey, C Courtney, T McNally, E McCarron, C McConnell, C McAnespie, N Kindlon, C Mohan.

TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Championship final

Cavan v Westmeath, Croke Park, 2.00pm

Westmeath and Cavan met earlier in the Championship during the group stages, with Westmeath prevailing on the day by four. Since then, both Cavan and Westmeath have had to work hard to reach this decider.

The Lake County overturned a five-point half time deficit against Limerick in the semi-finals, while the Breffni booked their place in this year’s final after an extra-time victory over Leitrim.

It was 1981 when Westmeath last appeared in an All-Ireland final, while Cavan have not made it since 1987. With the long wait now over, both sides will be keen to not let this opportunity slip away and walk away empty handed.

With game winners lining up for both teams - Cavan’s Aisling Doonan and Bronagh Sheridan and Westmeath’s Maud-Anne Foley and Laura Walsh - this final could swing either way, but a third trophy may well be on its way to the Leinster side.

Cavan: C McCutcheon, C O'Reilly, G McGlade, C Grey, R Murphy, P Crowe, D English, R Crowe, A Cornyn, R O'Keefe, B Sheridan, E Costin, B Boylan, C O’Reilly, A Donnan (c).

Westmeath: G Leahy, A Martin, G Kearney, T Durkan, K Boyce Jordan, J Rogers, M Malone, MA Foley, F Claffey, E Finn (c), R Kearney, L Brennan, L Walsh, K Somers, J Maher.

TG4 All-Ireland Junior Championship final

Wicklow v New York, Croke Park, 12pm

After a nine-year absence, New York have made an incredible return to the Championship, booking their place in the Junior All-Ireland final for the first time since 1999.

The New Yorkers came into the Championship at the quarter-final stage and were convincing winners over Carlow, before overcoming a highly fancied Wexford side in the semi-finals.

Wicklow on the other hand, were runners up in Group B of the group stages and booked their place in the final after a comprehensive win over Louth in the semi-finals.

The Garden County’s forwards boost the best strike rate in the Championship, with Lucy Mulhall and Caoifhionn Deeney in particular impressing to date with a combined tally of 8-22.

New York’s Emma Clarke, who originally hails from Cavan, has also shown great form in front of the posts, chalking up seven points during her side’s semi-final victory earlier this month.

Considering the calibre of forwards on display, expect a high scoring game with both sides looking to stamp their authority early on but Wicklow have been knocking on the door for a while now and if Mulhall and Deeney click, that should see them home.

Wicklow: E Miley, J Miley, C Byrne, A Heffernan, L Fusciardi, C McKeon (c), N Kelly, J Kinch, L Gilbert, AM Doran, C Deeney, L Ahern, E Lenihan, L Mulhall, N Carroll.

New York: A Leyden, L Lilly, T McCullagh, I Mullarkey, J Garcia, C Brady, J Monaghan, L McKeon, A O’Dwyer, M O’Rourke (c), K Roche, C Traynor, E Clarke, F O’Dwyer, M De Búrca.