The sides have previous in 2024, having met in Ballinamore in early June during the group stages. Leitrim recorded a 4-12 to 5-8 victory, in what was a quite outstanding game.
Their prospects looked bleak in the early stages when they went eight points behind, and were nine down at one stage in the second half.
But they rallied superbly to win. Ailbhe Clancy scored 2-5, team captain Michelle Guckian chipped in with 1-5, and Muireann Devaney added 1-1. On the Tyrone side, the prodigiously talented Sorcha Gormley, captain of the county’s under 18 side that contested the All-Ireland B Final last weekend, registered 2-3. Maria Canavan was another key player for the Red Hands on the day, notching 1-4.
Clancy (3-13), Guckian (1-18), Devaney (4-6) and Laura O’Dowd (1-9) are Leitrim’s leading scorers to date while Gormley (3-4) is the leading markswoman for Tyrone, followed by Aoife Horisk (3-3), and Chloe McCaffrey and Maria Canavan (both 1-8).
Both counties have done really well to reach Croke Park, Leitrim coming through having won the Connacht title, while Tyrone shrugged off the disappointment of losing the Ulster semi-final to launch a strong All-Ireland challenge.
Tyrone have already appeared at Croke Park this year, so will that Lidl National League Division 2 final loss against Kildare stand to them? They will compete in Division 1 next year while, despite a strong showing in the group stages, Leitrim’s bid for promotion from Division 4 came unstuck in the semi-finals.
Along with the coveted silverware at stake today, the other huge carrot for the winners is senior championship football next year.
Today’s trophy, the Mary Quinn Memorial Cup, is named after a Leitrim LGFA legend. The county was successful in the 2007 final against Wexford, which was their only previous appearance in this competition’s final. Tyrone are gearing up for their third intermediate decider, having lost the 2017 final against Tipperary, before bouncing back to win a year later against Meath.
Leitrim: M Monaghan; E Quigley, C Tyrrell, C Owens; S Reynolds, K Bruen, E Bruen; N Tighe, M Guckian; O Flynn, L O’Dowd, M Devaney; A Clancy, S Quinn, Á Redican. Subs: M Hackett, B O’Rourke, L McKeon, E McHugh, E Shanley, M Murphy, É Quinn, A Treanor, V Egan, L Fox.
Tyrone: A Coyle; J Lyons, J Barrett, E Quinn; C Daly, M Corrigan, C Campbell; A McHugh, M Mallon; Á Grimes, A Horisk, EJ Gervin; C McCaffery, Z Loughran, M Canavan. Subs: C Donnelly, E Mulgrew, K Rose, E Conroy, A McGahan, E McNamee, C Colton, S Gormley, A Daly, S Byrne, O Mulgrew, C McCallion, N McElduff, C Quinn, E Loughran.