Bronagh Devlin aiming high with ambitious Antrim

By Paul Keane

If Bronagh Devlin sticks around Croke Park on Sunday for all three of the TG4 All-Ireland ladies football finals, she'll come across some familiar faces.

The Antrim captain, who will lead the Saffrons out in the junior decider against Carlow, which throws in at 11.45am, will be returning to the venue where she played last December, in the AIB All-Ireland club senior final.

St Ergnat's, Moneyglass were the surprise finalists and with Devlin and her twin sister, club and county goalkeeper Áine, both featuring, they came up just short of a generational Kilkerrin-Clonberne side.

At least half a dozen of those Kilkerrin-Clonberne players will be expected to feature for Galway in the senior final on Sunday, against Kerry at 4.15pm.

That's a whole two grades above where Antrim operate at, despite the club champions of the respective counties contesting a highly competitive national senior final just eight months ago.

What it suggests is that Antrim football is on the up and that their flagship county team, promoted from Division 3 of the Lidl National League earlier this year, has plenty of scope for potential.

It's a nice thought for Devlin and her team-mates as they attempt to lock down a place in next year's intermediate championship.

"Yeah, definitely," enthused the experienced forward. "I think the talent and the skill within the county, it's not always showcased how talented and skillful Antrim as a whole is. So making that sort of progress is definitely not out of reach, I don't think.

"Especially even if you look at the club championships, local teams are putting it up to each other every year. So hopefully this is just the start of a few wee stepping stones to reach our potential."

Devlin has won an All-Ireland junior title before with Antrim, in 2022. They beat Fermanagh after a replay that year. It's been agony more recently for her, losing last year's final to Louth by just two points and then coming up short again upon her return to GAA HQ with St Ergnat's in December.

As crushing as the defeats were, it's also a whole pile of experience that the Antrim players can draw upon when they face a Carlow side making history for the county as the first ever ladies team to play competitively at Croke Park.

"I think ever so slightly," said Devlin, when asked if that aspect is significant. "You definitely have to take the one percents wherever they are. But it's a big day out no matter what. No matter how many times you've been here, it's still as exciting as ever. You want to win as much as ever. So I think it will help a bit but at the same time, Carlow have nothing to lose either. It's a big test no matter what."

Devlin doubled down on that point about Carlow being dangerous opponents, because they may be seen as in bonus territory after simply reaching Croke Park.

"Big time," nodded Devlin. "It's definitely a factor that you think about. They've come up and got promotion into Division 3, and they won their provincial championship. It's definitely something you keep in the back of your mind, how dangerous they are. But we have to remember the performances we know we can put in too, how we can play and the standard we want to be playing at."

Devlin said she knew Antrim were going to have a good season about midway through it, when results started to come in the National League.

"We were up in Division 3 at that stage," she explained. "Our goal was to stay in Division 3, and we were obviously doing well and sitting in the top two. When we got up to Division 2, I couldn't believe it to begin with but at the same time I knew we could go on and push on to where we are. And, you know, I think this team does have an All-Ireland in them."