Camogie: Kerry and Roscommon clash in Division 3 decider
April 13, 2018
Kerry's Patrice Diggin in action against Dublin.
©INPHO/Ken Sutton.
PREVIEW - LITTLEWOODS IRELAND CAMOGIE LEAGUES DIVISION 3 FINAL
Sunday April 15th
Kerry v Roscommon
The Ragg, Co. Tipperary
Throw-in: 2pm
These two sides have crossed swords regularly in recent years since Kerry made the step up to the third tier after their victorious Division 4 campaign in 2015.
Last year, Roscommon came out on top in the Division 3 Semi-Final but the most recent meeting between the pair saw them share 14 points evenly in Abbeydorney at the beginning of the month.
That gave the Rossies top spot on a significantly superior score difference of 22 points, after both teams had registered victories over Tyrone and Clare. That could be a little skewed however, as Tyrone appeared to improve from their opening 38-point defeat by Roscommon.
Nonetheless, that traumatic experience may have informed their decision to concede the verdict to the Connacht crew in the Semi-Final, while Kerry had 11 points to spare over Clare in the other penultimate tie.
That was an improvement on the seven-point victory they had recorded over the Banner girls in the group stages last month and is worth noting when compared to the five-point margin that separated Roscommon and Clare the following week.
This is the real deal though, with silverware on offer and experimentation going out the window for Kerry boss Stephen Goggin and his Roscommon counterpart Brian Griffin.
Kerry have a lot of pace and a strong representation from the Clanmaurice outfit that reached the AIB All-Ireland Junior Club Championship Final, only losing out to Kilmessan in a replay. Patrice Diggin is one of the best players in the country, as exhibited regularly with University of Limerick in the Ashbourne Cup and in buttressing that recent Clanmaurice odyssey.
Rachel Fitzmaurice has delivered the goods for Roscommon, continuing on the promise she has shown through the underage ranks and is a key element of the blend of youth and experience brought together by Griffin.
Roscommon may be marginal favourites and have the memories of losing the last two Finals to drive them on but the key indicators suggest that there won't be much in it.
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