Ladies Football: Crunch Weekend For All Three Midlands Sides

Friday, 23 July 2021 13:56

Laois are the only team virtually guaranteed a place in the knockout stages.

Push will come to shove for both Westmeath and Offaly this weekend as they look to advance to the knockout stages of the Intermediate Championship.

Westmeath have one win and one defeat to their name thus far and will need Sligo to do them a favour against Longford if they're to prolong their season.

The lake county will also need to account for the previously unbeaten Wexford if they are to advance.

No simple task for a very young side who have blooded a number of new faces in this season's championship.

They will definitely be doing it the hard way if they're to give themselves a shot at reaching back to back finals in the grade.

Here is the panel Sean Finnegan has named for the game in Baltinglass:

Throw in is at 4pm on Sunday.

On the same day at 5:30 in Clane, Offaly and Louth will be involved in a shoot-out for second place in group four.

They were separated into different sections of the league in division four.

Both were beaten by Down in recent weeks and Gary Daly will be hoping to regain some of their league form against the wee county.

If they can manage that then a potential quarter-final matchup with Laois is on the cards for Annie Kehoe and the rest of the team.

Their panel is as follows:

Laois are the team in pole position going into the final weekend of the round-robin phase.

Their scintillating win over neighbours Kildare last weekend ensures that a win or draw against Roscommon in Kinnegad on Sunday will cement top spot in group three.

As mentioned previously this will lead to a quarter-final tie with Offaly or Louth and following that will be the prospect of a semi-final against Down, Westmeath or Longford.

Having won division three of the league, Donie Brennan will be quietly confident of dispatching the faithful or wee county in the last eight.

Mo Nerney and Sarah Ann Fitzgerald have been in stunning form in front of goal and no team will want to come up against them as the Mary Quinn Memorial Cup wears on.

Throw-in for this one is at 2pm.

The Laois panel for the game is: