Kilmadcud Crokes' open-door policy adds interest to club clash with defending champions Kilkerrin-Clonberne

It might be the first time they've collided in the competition, but there will still be some sense of familiarity when Michelle Davoren and Kilmacud Crokes face defending champions Kilkerrin-Clonberne in the currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Senior Club Championship semi-final at Parnell Park on Sunday afternoon [throw-in 2pm].

Aside from the connection that Galway men's footballer Shane Walsh has to both clubs – his sister Aisling won an All-Ireland senior title with Kilkerrin just under a year before he claimed the male equivalent in the colours of his adopted Kilmacud – the Dublin side have welcomed a selection of players from their western counterparts to training sessions throughout this year.

While she acknowledges this might seem strange now that both teams are set to lock horns, Davoren believes it is only right to keep the door open for any outside players who are looking to maintain their fitness levels during the season.

"We would have had a couple of players that trained once or twice as the year went on," Davoren explained.

"Siobhan Divilly being one of them. We’d always have our door open to whoever needs to come down and train. We’re a big enough club that we can say that we should be doing that to an extent, when people need to get the training in.

"I think that’s the spirit of the GAA at the end of the day, it’s letting people in and welcoming them like they’re your team. Certainly we would have had a couple of drop-in visits from Kilkerrin players, which is funny now in hindsight, but that’s how it goes."

Having been part of a side that lost out in the 2019 and 2020 finals to the formidable Foxrock/Cabinteely, Davoren finally tasted success in the Dublin championship with Crokes in 2022. This breakthrough triumph