FIXTURES
Saturday, 16 December
CAMOGIE
AIB All-Ireland Junior A Club final
Athleague [Roscommon] v Granemore [Armagh], Coralstown-Kinnegad, 1pm
AIB All-Ireland Junior B Club final
Crossmaglen [Armagh] v St Munna's [Westmeath], Abbottstown, 2pm
FOOTBALL
Currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Intermediate Club final
Ballinamore Sean O'Heslins [Leitrim] v Glanmire [Cork]; Croke Park, 3pm
Currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Senior Club final
Ballymacarbry [Waterford] v Kilkerrin-Clonberne [Galway]; Croke Park, 5pm
Sunday, 17 December
FOOTBALL
Currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Junior Club final
Claremorris [Mayo] v O'Donovan Rossa [Cork]; Parnell Park, 2pm
CAMOGIE
AIB All-Ireland Intermediate Club final
Na Fianna [Meath] v Clanmaurice [Kerry], Croke Park, 3pm
AIB All-Ireland Senior Club final
Sarsfields [Galway] v Dicksboro [Kilkenny], Croke Park, 5.15pm
WATCH
The AIB Senior Camogie Club Championship final between Sarsfields and Dicksboro will be live on Sunday from 5pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, with the intermediate decider on the Player before that from 3pm.
The All-Ireland intermediate and senior club football finals will be live on TG4.
WEATHER
Saturday will be mostly cloudy, but it will be mainly dry. There will just be a little patchy light rain or drizzle at times. A breezy day with moderate to fresh and gusty southwest winds, strong in some coastal parts. Continuing mild with highest temperatures of 11 to 13 degrees.
Sunday is likely to be cloudy with the chance of some rain in Connacht and Ulster and maybe west Munster too, possibly heavy at times, but drier elsewhere with just a little patchy drizzle. Very mild again with highest temperatures of 11 to 13 degrees and it will be breezy or rather windy for a time with fresh to strong south to southwest winds, decreasing a little later.
CAMOGIE PREVIEW
Family is central to every GAA club and Dicksboro will embody that in their first ever AIB All-Ireland Senior Camogie Club final on Sunday.
Opponents Sarsfields, the defending two in-a-row champions, famously feature the McGrath sisters, whose father manages them but the Leinster champions from Kilkenny city have their own sibling stars in three Cliffords [Jenny, Tara and Amy] and three Phelan sisters [Niamh, Ciara and Emer].
And Dicksboro's management team unusually features three brothers whose name is indelibly associated with the small ball Noreside.
The Carrolls [Donal, Ted and David] are sons of the late Ted Carroll who was secretary of Kilkenny GAA's county board in the 1990s.
The Carrolls also have daughters on the panel in teenagers Caoimhe and Sinead [Ted’s daughters] and Angela [Donal’s daughter].
Dicksboro’s selectors also include the Carrolls’ first cousin, former Kilkenny senior Dan O’Neill, as well as Catherine Peters [their strength and conditioning coach] and former player Emer Tynan.
Dicksboro have shown a propensity for resilience, having trailed Loughiel by five points in the All-Ireland semi-final but Asha McHardy's 1-1 strike immediately after the break got them back in the game and they won the second half 2-7 to 0-02.
They were hit themselves by a rapid 1-1 from defending champions St Vincent’s after half-time in the Leinster final yet still prevailed.
Sarsfields powered their way into the decider after a 2-10 to 1-06 win over their Cork namesakes.
Meanwhile, there will definitely be new names on the intermediate and junior trophies.
Clanmaurice, three-time junior finalists and champions in 2019, defied their lack of competition in Kerry by beating Blackrock [Cork] and Shamrocks [Galway] to reach the intermediate final where they meet Na Fianna of Meath whose goalkeeper Niamh Kirby and full-back Claire Coffey were heroic in their three-point victory over Eglish.
Athleague lost their first Junior A final eight years ago but are back to face Granemore of Armagh while 2003 Junior A champions Crossmaglen face first-time Westmeath finalists St Munna's in the Junior B decider.
FOOTBALL PREVIEW
Each of the finals pit clubs from Connacht and Munster against each other in the quest for silverware.
There's a double-header at Croke Park on Saturday, with Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins from Leitrim meeting Cork’s Glanmire in the Intermediate final, followed by the senior final pairing of Waterford’s Ballymacarbry and the holders, Kilkerrin-Clonberne from Galway.
Ten-time winners Ballymacarby are the most storied club in the history of the All-Ireland Ladies Senior Club Football Championship as they return to the big stage to meet the current holders who are chasing a three-in-a-row.
Ballymacarbry achieved the last of their ten titles in 1998 and Saturday will be their first senior decider since then.
For Kilkerrin-Clonberne, this is more familiar territory as they prepare for a fourth successive All-Ireland final.
Having suffered pre-Covid heartbreak against Mourneabbey in 2018 and 2019, Kilkerrin-Clonberne got the better of their Cork rivals in the 2021 final, before following up with a successful retention of their crown at Croke Park against Monaghan opponents Donaghmoyne 12 months ago.
Now, a third successive win is in Kilkerrin-Clonberne’s sights but they face formidable opposition in Ballymacarbry, with the club preparing for a 13th ever national final, although it will be the first time to do so at Croke Park.
It's history in the making in what is a novel final pairing, even though the clubs did meet at the semi-final stage last year, with Kilkerrin-Clonberne running out very comfortable 2-10 to 0-02 winners.
But after nailing a 42nd successive county title, Ballymac have kicked on to win back-to-back Munster crowns before refocusing for the All-Ireland series.
Kilkerrin-Clonberne, meanwhile, fresh from landing six-in-a-row in Connacht, were made to sweat in their All-Ireland semi-final against Dublin's Kilmacud Crokes.
The sides were inseparable after normal time and extra-time was required before Kilkerrin-Clonberne progressed to a fourth Final in-a-row, on a 0-15 to 1-10 scoreline.
Ballymacarbry: L Fitzpatrick; G Nugent, M McGrath, M Ryan; K McGrath, L Ryan, B McMaugh; K Hogan, A Barron; A Wall (capt.), S Peters, M Boyce; S Hallinan, C Walsh, R Browne.
Kilkerrin-Clonberne: L Murphy; C Costello, S Gormally, C Dunleavy; K Mee, N Ward, L Finnegan; S Divilly, H Noone; O Divilly, L Ward (capt.), L Noone; E Noone, C Miskell, N Divilly.
Watch the AIB Senior Camogie Club Championship final, Sarsfields (Galway) v Dicksboro (Kilkenny), on Sunday from 5pm live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Watch the Intermediate final, Clanmaurice (Kerry) v Na Fianna (Meath), live on RTÉ Player from 3pm.
