Boardsmill tipped to end senior exile
The Ladies IFC final on Saturday night in Skryne (7pm) has all the makings of a classic. Boardsmill and St Ultan’s are two quality sides and both come into this game with a point to prove, writes Anna Gardiner.
St Ultan’s will be desperate to atone for last year’s final defeat to Skryne, while Boardsmill will be out to regain their senior status and exact revenge over the team who relegated them to Junior A three years ago.
For the last two years, St Ultan’s have been closing in on an Intermediate title. In 2024, they were unlucky to be edged out by Simonstown in extra time at the semi-final stage and last year, they lost to Skryne by six in the final.
They have been motoring well this year, ranking third in Div 2 FL and narrowly missing out on a place in the JK cup final - they have continued this form into the championship.
They bounced back from their opening round loss to Boardsmill, defeating St Colmcille’s and St Michael’s to finish second in the group. A quarter-final win over Na Fianna earned them a place in the semi-final against Walterstown, where two late goals saw them win by four.
Key players include Shauna Bennett, Linda Smith, Mary Coyne, Lauren Rennicks, inter-county forward Rachel Casserly and the Meath u-20’s Orlaith Reilly - who has a dangerous preference for goals. They will be complemented by the likes of Emily and Molly O’Brien; talented young footballers that were part of the club’s victorious u-17 Div 1 team over the summer.
St Ultan’s will relish the opportunity to have another crack at Boardsmill, and with an effective blend of youth and experience, they have every chance of reversing the result of the group game as manager Stephen King aims to write another chapter in the storied history of the Bohermeen parish club.
Boardsmill will be bidding to return to senior ranks for the first time since 2022. This is the first year since then that they have played in the same competition for two consecutive seasons, having been relegated from senior in 2022, from intermediate in 2023, then winning Junior A in 2024.
Last year, they were knocked-out at the quarter-final stage, but with all four Troy sisters and Susan Kealy back, Boardsmill have shown themselves to be formidable opponents in 2026.
Their victorious Div 2 FL campaign in the spring earmarked them as serious contenders for the intermediate championship. They will now be back playing Div 1 football in 2027 for the first time in 10 years and a win this weekend would complete a remarkable double restoration of top-flight football status.
St Ultan’s may have beaten them in the 2025 IFC, but Boardsmill have had the measure of them this year. They defeated them by 10 in the league and by five in the first round of the championship.
Boardsmill went on to top Group B and came through a tight semi-final against St Comcille’s. They are a team very much on the up and if they perform, Boardsmill have what it takes to lift the Brian McKeown cup under the guidance of Sean Fitzgerald.