The primary goal is simple for Fermanagh Ladies – to maintain their place in the Intermediate Championship for the 2019 season.
Having won the All Ireland Junior title last year, Fermanagh moved up to the Intermediate ranks in 2018 but they have done so with a young squad with 13 of last season’s squad unavailable to the management for one reason or another.
Defeat to Down ended their hopes in Ulster and they now move into the All Ireland series with the Erne side in a group with Meath and Roscommon.
They begin their All Ireland programme with a game against Meath this Sunday at 2pm in Clones and coach Mickey Cadden explains their aim for the competition.
“We hope to stay at Intermediate level if we can. We lost 13 players from the squad that won the Junior All Ireland last year so it has been a difficult year where we have more or less started all over again from scratch. To retain our Intermediate status would be a good achievement,” said an honest Cadden.
Fermanagh do have some experienced players that they will look to for leadership including Shauna Hamilton and Roisin Reilly but the bulk of the squad has a youthful feel to it.
“We would have a few of the older heads still there and we will look to them to help the younger ones. In fairness to the girls they have stayed focussed and have worked hard. With a young squad you get hit with girls doing exams and that but morale is good and they are looking forward to the championship,” he added.
Cadden knows that Meath will provide a stern test in this weekend’s opening group game in Clones.
“We played them in a challenge game last year and they were very strong, so it won’t be easy. We would expect a very tough game but we will be going there to give it our best. We need to get a win out of the two games to avoid the relegation play-offs and that’s what we will be aiming for. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain and if we were to win on Sunday then it turns the whole thing around and you would then be thinking about progressing. The important thing though as I said is to stay at Intermediate level and if we manage to do that then it would be a great year,” he said.