McGrath and Nolan help Jackies through to decider
By Daire Walsh
SIOBHAN McGrath and Orlagh Nolan played their part for Dublin’s senior ladies footballers at Kingspan Breffni last Saturday as they reached a seventh straight All-Ireland Senior Championship decider with a 3-13 to 3-8 victory against Armagh.
Returning to the starting line-up after sitting out the recent group stage win over Waterford, Thomas Davis ace McGrath – the 2019 Footballer of the Year – lined up alongside Aoife Kane and Sinéad Goldrick in the Dubs’ half-back line.
Ballinteer St John’s defender Orlagh Nolan entered the fray in the closing minutes of the contest, helping Mick Bohan’s charges to eventually see off the stubborn challenge of their Ulster counterparts.
The Jackies will have to wait an extra few days before discovering their final opponents, with Cork and Galway set to clash in the competition’s second semi-final at Parnell Park on Sunday (throw-in 1.30pm).
Whoever Dublin happens to face in the Brendan Martin Cup decider at Croke Park on December 19, they will be coming up against a familiar foe.
The Metropolitans got the better of the Rebelettes in the 2018 All-Ireland showpiece, before defeating Galway at the same stage 12 months later.
In contrast, Saturday’s game in Cavan was the first championship meeting between Dublin and Armagh since the semi-final of 2015.
While Dublin ran out comfortable winners at Parnell Park five years ago, they were given a much sterner examination on this occasion.
Despite threatening to storm home when Nicole Owens (in her first inter-county appearance since August of last year) and Carla Rowe rattled the net early on, Armagh weren’t there to simply make up the numbers.
Having registered goals of their own from Aimee Mackin and Aoife McCoy, the northerners briefly led before Noelle Healy brought Dublin back on level terms (2-8 apiece) in time for the interval.
There was little between the sides during the early exchanges of the second period, but when a coolly-converted Rowe penalty coincided with the sin-binning of opposition defender Clodagh McCambridge, it opened the floodgates to a certain extent.
Ronan Murphy’s Armagh briefly threatened to spoil the party when Mackin grabbed her second goal on 48 minutes, only for Dublin to once again reinforce their authority.
Rowe and substitute Kate Sullivan added insurance points to keep the county’s hopes of a fourth successive All-Ireland crown very much alive.
Aside from McGrath and Nolan, their respective club-mates Ciara McGuigan and Niamh Sweeney were also named on the bench for Saturday’s semi-final. Additionally, Lucan Sarsfields’ Abby Shiels is also part of the extended Dublin panel for 2020 and all five players will hope it is a winter to remember at the end of an incredibly testing year.