Tomorrow's All-Ireland Ladies Football Final is a repeat of last year's encounter with Waterford hoping they can exact revenge against the 1999 champions. Waterford are the more established county in ladies gaelic football but last year they were given a shock by Mayo and the Connacht county has since become the team to beat after they they also won this year's league campaign, during which they overcame Waterford in the semi-final. Despite all the earlier unrest caused by a row between the management and county board, Mayo remained strong and were very impressive in their All-Ireland semi-final victory over Tyrone, with Cora Staunton instrumental in her county reaching a second consecutive final. However, Waterford were equally impressive in their semi-final victory over Meath.
There is just one change to the Mayo team ahead of tomorrow's match. Martha O'Malley has been dropped and a number of positional changes have been implemented. Meanwhile, Waterford named an unchanged side but have also decided to make some switches on the field. The factors that will come into play tomorrow when deciding this outcome will be Waterford's desire for revenge and the fact that they have played three Championship matches in the lead up to the final compared with Mayo's single outing against Tyrone. But, in saying that, Mayo are full of confidence and will not want to relinquish their All-Ireland title too easily.
Verdict: Mayo
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
