BY MATTHEW WILSON
TERMON’S Roisin McCafferty is expecting a stern test against Glenfin this Sunday when the pair face-off in the Division 1 League Final.
The Termon senior ladies have enjoyed a solid league campaign to date, winning nine out of their ten matches which saw them secure second place in the table.
They’ve produced some fine performances throughout the league while also giving valuable minutes to many members of the squad, something McCafferty has been particularly pleased with.
“We’re really happy and a lot of players got a lot of time on the pitch. We got to use everybody in the squad and a number of the young girls really stepped up during the league campaign which has been super.
“We’ve had some good performances in there and some not so great ones but things that we’ve learned from so we’d be very happy with our league so far.”
It’s been a busy season so far for the Burn Road outfit as they secured both Donegal and All-Ireland Gaeltacht glory in the midst of the league campaign.
Termon overcame the challenge of Naomh Muire in the Donegal showpiece to seal their place at the All-Ireland stage of the competition.
Here they recorded a three-point win over Claregalway in Towney to land the coveted cup.
For several of the side’s emerging talents, it was their first taste of All-Ireland success, with McCafferty describing the triumph as a special one.
“Definitely, I think having those stop-gaps throughout the year like the Donegal Gaeltacht Final, the All-Ireland Gaeltacht Final and the League Final to give you motivation and focus for training.
“We’re a proud Gaeltacht club and that competition means a lot to us. A lot of those girls maybe haven’t been to an All-Ireland Gaeltacht Final or won one.
“For them younger and for us older girls, it gets more special every year. Those younger girls now see that it’s not a given that you can just win, a lot of hard work goes on in the background.
“We’d a great game against Claregalway and I thought we played fairly well. There’s things you still want to work on but it’s great silverware to get at that stage and it gives us a bit more motivation and structure around our season.”
It’s just shy of three weeks since Termon were last in competitive action, when they recorded a league victory over Gaeil Fhánada.
Since then, the squad has endured a difficult period following the death of clubmate Roisin McKelvey last week
There has been great sadness throughout the community since Roisin’s passing, and McCafferty stated that football has very much taken a back seat.
However, as they prepare to return to action, the group is determined to do her proud.
“We had a couple of days off, it was hard to find a gap to give girls a bit of time off so we had that and we got back to it.
“Unfortunately we had the sad news last weekend that we lost a teammate and a clubmate in Roisin McKelvey. Football is secondary whenever that comes into it.
“It’s important for us to be supporting our younger players and the girls that played with her. We’re still training away but football is very much secondary.
“It’s about the girls as a group, keeping everyone together and making sure that they had the support.
“It’s a tricky run-in for us in terms of what has happened but we’d want to do her proud and for the club as well to try and put our best foot forward.”
The Burn Road ladies will renew their rivalry with Glenfin in this Sunday’s Division 1 League Final at Pairc Mac Diarmada in Lifford.
The pair have met in numerous deciders in recent years including both the League and Championship Final last term.
The Pairc Taibhoige side got the better of Termon on both occasions last season, with them securing a narrow one-point win over them in the Division 1 showpiece.
McCafferty has faced Glenfin often enough to know exactly what to expect from them and believes they will provide another formidable test when they contest Sunday’s final in Lifford.
“We know each other inside out at this stage and they’re going to provide a massive test. They beat us in the League Final and the Championship Final last year which we would’ve been very disappointed with.
“They’re a great team and I’d imagine the new rules suit them as well. They’ve good point kickers and deadly inside forwards which suits them as well.
“But we’re really focused on ourselves, keeping an eye on what we have and trying to develop those younger players to come into more central roles.
“We’re looking forward to it, it’s great to have a final. There’s eight other teams in Division 1 that don’t have a final so it’s great to have something to play for and look forward to at this stage of the season.
“Win or lose, you learn from that then for the Championship on where you have to go and what you have to work on.”