BY DÁIRE BONNAR
SATURDAY in Clones will be a mix of Green and Gold along with Orange as Donegal and Armagh face off in a double header.
Gone are the days when minor games were the curtain raiser to the senior men’s game, but with this familiar pair facing off again in the final, it brought a great opportunity for ladies football to be showcased live in front of a wider audience.
As fans pour into St Tiernach’s Park early to get a good spot, it will give them an opportunity to take in what should be another classic instalment of a rivalry that has grown significantly in recent years and been a familiar pairing.
“It’s a great opening for the men’s final and great coverage for us too, there’s no better team to go up against than Armagh and it’ll be a great occasion for the county,” Donegal defender Abigail Temple Asokuh said at the press launch for the double header Ulster final.
“It would be great if loads more people showed up, as far as I’m aware the tickets are for both games so there’s no reason not to go.”
There is a long way to go if the attentions of the ladies game is to catch up with the men but the Sean MacCumhaill’s woman feels it’s on the right trajectory, with a few tweaks suggested.
“It definitely is (going in the right direction) and we need to keep going with it, there are more steps we can take to get up there but it is improving and this will be another good day to show it.
“I feel like more coverage on games would be a good one. You get Division One and some Division Two games on TV but not much for Three or Four.
“I think double headers are great and after next Saturday we’ll see how people feel about it and the price, you’re getting two games in one so it’s about getting people going and watching. We have some amazing players across the country and it’s about getting people out to the games and keeping them out of the pubs!”
Only 19 and just finished her first year at DCU studying PE & Biology, Temple Asokuh looked on as Donegal were the top team in the province.
In recent years however that has shifted as those players that consistently won titles have moved on, with a new crop coming through.
Typically lining out at full-back, she had plenty of experience around her in what was her first year at senior level in 2023 as a Donegal side that looked to be on the way out upset the odds to defeat an Armagh side with All-Ireland aspirations.
A first provincial medal in the bag, but the team has changed dramatically just 24 months later.
“Having those big players, you had Emer Gallagher, Nicole McLaughlin then Niamh Carr and Evelyn McGinley they have all been big defenders for me who I looked up to and got advice from and they were great.
“Our management could explain it one way but they could explain it in a different way if you were unsure.
“Evelyn and Niamh are still there too which is great but some of the girls coming through now I’ve played minor with and it can be easy to chat to them if they’re confused but there’s a great bond there and they have gelled in well.”
This pair have contested every Ulster final since 2019 and with just the two senior teams left in the province, there is a mutual respect there but that will go out the window once the whistle blows at 3pm on Saturday.
Armagh will go into the game as favourites having made the All-Ireland semi-final last year and the Division 1 League final this year, both times ousted by eventual champions Kerry.
But Donegal will take heart from last year’s final when they also went in as underdogs and took the Orchard ladies to extra-time.
“Armagh are a top team and we know it will be a hard fought battle and whoever performs best on the day will come out on top.
“Last year we showed we can keep up with them and it wasn’t going to be an easy game for them.
“There is a big rivalry there and even before I came in it has been like that so it’s great competition and two great teams in Ulster.”
Temple Asokuh is only on the mend after picking up an ankle injury against Roscommon in the league and hasn’t played competitively since that game in February.
“I was out for six weeks but I came back and got playing in a friendly game so I have loads of training sessions under my belt and I’m just trying to push to get back into that starting position and performing at training.
“But I’m happy to be back on the pitch because it was hard just standing on the sidelines.
“I’m all better now but I just have to be mindful of it and keep it braced up during matches.”
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