Carnacon will have home advantage on Saturday afternoon when they look to take the scalp of defending Connacht and Galway champions Kilkerrin-Clonberne in the provincial semi-final.
The Mayo champions who picked up their 22nd county senior title three weeks ago were beaten by the Galway side at the same stage of the competition last year.
This will be the ninth time the sides have met in the Connacht championship since 2013. The Galway side have the sales tipped slightly in their favour - having won four of the previous eight clashes with Carnacon winning three - the last coming in the 2017 final after a replay on a score of 4-10 to 2-13, the drawn game had also been a very high-scoring encounter, finishing up 5-17 to 61-4.
In their victory over Moy Davitts in the Mayo decider, Beatrice Casey’s side really found their form after the break. They played into the teeth of a gale in the first half and overturned a single point deficit 0-7 to 0-6 at the short whistle to run out 2-16 to 0-11 winners, outscoring their opponents 2-10 to 0-4 in the final 30 minutes.
Cora Staunton was the top scorer on the day in the final finishing up with 11 points to her name, when the sides met last year Staunton was still making her way back to fitness after suffering a serious leg injury and to have their sharp-shooter fully fit will be a huge addition this year for their challenge.
Amy Dowling and Aoife Brennan got the goals for Carnacon in the Mayo final - both of them finishing up up with 1-2 to their name at the full time whistle.
Along with Staunton, Carnacon also can call on the vast experience of the likes of Marie Corbett, Martha Carter and Fiona McHale, who have all been there and done it before at this level.
They will also need big games from players such as Brianna Burton, Louise Dowling and young up-and-coming player Hannah Prendergast, who kicked a point coming off the bench in the Mayo final.
Their opponents are looking to make it a hat-trick of Connacht titles this year and were beaten in the All Ireland final by Cork champions Mourneabbey by a single point last November.
This year they made it eight in a row in Galway with a 2-15 to 1-9 win over Claregalway two weeks ago to cement their place as the powerhouse of ladies football in Galway.
Kilkerrin-Clonberne have plenty of familiar faces in their side with the likes of Nicola and Louise Ward, Oliva Divilly and Annette Clarke - all well known players. In their five games in the Galway championship they hit 19-93 so the Carnacon defence will have to be on their toes.
Divilly was their top scorer in the championship, bagging 1-27, while Eva Noone with 4-17 and Ailish Morrissey, who bagged 4-16, not far behind their main scorer.
The meetings between these sides over the past few years have been hard fought and high scoring affairs and come tomorrow afternoon, you can expect more of the same.
