Fiona Crotty-Laffan backing Ballymacarbry to cause an upset against Kilkerrin-Clonberne

It has been a long wait since their last appearance at this stage of the competition, but club stalwart Fiona Crotty-Laffan is thrilled that Ballymacarbry have finally made it back to a currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Ladies Senior Club decider.

Back in 1998, Crotty-Laffan was selected in the half-forward line as the Waterford side defeated Dublin’s Portobello on a scoreline of 2-15 to 0-08 in Birr to claim top-tier honours. This was her ninth time to collect an All-Ireland SFC club crown, but Ballymac were also first-time victors in 1987 prior to her progression onto the senior panel.

While they have continued to dominate the Waterford championship in the past quarter of a century, the emergence of new powerhouses on the provincial and national scene has made the task of reaching an All-Ireland final all the more difficult. Yet following a convincing semi-final success over Ulster champions Clann Eireann, Ballymac return to the big stage at Croke Park this evening to take on reigning champions Kilkerrin-Clonberne.

"These bunch of girls that are going to be playing on Saturday have had a hard slog over the last couple of years. The likes of Michelle Ryan, Aileen Wall, Louise Ryan, Karen and Michelle McGrath, those older girls on the team. They have fought for Ballymac for several, several years now," Crotty-Laffan said.

"To keep the momentum going and to get where they are now is just fantastic. I’m really excited for them and I’m delighted for them because they thoroughly deserve it."

For a number of reasons, Crotty-Laffan is expecting Ballymac to be a highly-motivated outfit when the ball is thrown in at 5pm at GAA HQ today. Aside from attempting to halt a Kilkerrin-Clonberne side that have won the last two All-Ireland senior