Kehoe spearheads Dubs drive to provincial glory
By Daire Walsh
ST JUDE’S ace Eimear Kehoe headed up the strong local contingent on the Dublin U16 ladies football squad as they defeated Meath 3-9 to 2-6 to secure the Leinster ‘A’ Championship crown at Fingallians GAA in Swords on Saturday.
A late inclusion in the starting line-up, Kehoe bagged an impressive tally of 2-3 to end the contest as the Jackies’ scorer-in-chief.
She was ably-assisted by Ballyboden St Enda’s star Karrie Rudden, who chipped in with five points from full-forward.
Lucan Sarsfields midfielder Siobhan Birnie capped an industrious display with a point of her own on a day when Dublin emerged convincing winners.
There were also spots in the starting team for Round Tower pair Aoife Robertson and Rebecca Nolan, the latter forming a productive half-forward line alongside Ellen Joyce and Ellen Leddy Doyle.
Amongst the substitutes, St Jude’s pair Alex Falvey and Anna Marie Durkan were joined by Emma Moran of Ballyboden St Enda’s.
Thanks to a brace of points from Rudden, Dublin established some daylight between themselves and their opponents during the early exchanges. Birnie subsequently extended their lead in advance of Kehoe securing a white flag score of her own.
Their Royal counterparts, however, began to get to grips with the task at hand as Poppy Byrne posted back-to-back efforts, but the Metropolitans ended the opening period with a flourish.
In the space of just four minutes, Kehoe rattled off a haul of 2-1 to help propel her side into a 2-5 to 0-3 interval cushion.
The dynamic pair of Kehoe and Rudden moved a rampant Dublin into a double-figure lead on the resumption and even though Meath kept plugging away, Rudden’s dead-ball accuracy kept the home side in the driving seat.
Still, a determined Meath fired back with a Laura Campion goal and she could have been in for another if not for the quick reflexes of Sky Blues netminder Siobhán Cassidy Fagan.
Yet Dublin continued to pose a strong attacking threat and a Sophia O’Brien three-pointer offered them considerable leeway.
To their credit, Meath did break through for a second goal courtesy of Laura Mangan in the closing moments, but it was not enough to deny Dublin a hard-earned provincial triumph.
Following this win, the Jackies meet the Connacht champions on June 29.