When the draw was made for the TG4 Ladies Senior Football Championship it threw up some promising pairings and none will whet the appetite for championship action more then the meeting of Armagh and Waterford this Saturday in Clane.
These two sides have plenty of recent history.
It was Waterford that Armagh defeated in Croke Park in 2012 to seal their return to the Senior ranks and they defeated the same opposition in the Division 3 League final in 2014 as they began their ascent to the top division.
Waterford have since followed suit with their own TG4 All Ireland victory last year and Lidl NFL Division 3 promotion this year but memories of those defeats will be sure to motivate the Déise.
Armagh had been enjoying a very positive 2016 but then the wheels came off when they were knocked out of the TG4 Ulster championship by a rejuvenated Monaghan side in the semi-final.
They will be forced to line out without the injured Sinead Kernan and the unavailable Lauren McConville this weekend but there is still loads of talent in this team. Mairead Tennyson leads the team from corner back with Fionnuala McKenna reprising her play-maker role at centre back.
Caroline O’Hanlon will, as always, be expected to provide the inspiration from midfield whilst Kelly Mallon and the excellent Aimee Mackin have the potential to unlock any defence.
Waterford had a tough introduction to senior football losing out to both Cork and Kerry in the TG4 Munster Championship but they will be very encouraged by the displays that they gave.
Their defence is particularly strong with the Ballymacabry trio of Mairead and Linda Wall along with Michelle McGrath forming a watertight full back line.
Emma Murray and her sister, Katie, will provide youthful exuberance whilst Maria Delahunty is excellent from placed balls. Aileen Wall is their ace in the hold as she will start the match from the bench.
This will be a very intense and tight match as neither team will want to be the first to be knocked out of the championship. There will be very little between the sides but Armagh will have the upper hand in terms of Senior Championship experience.
