Jackies top group to secure Donegal clash
By Daire Walsh
DUBLIN’S senior ladies footballers will face Donegal in the All-Ireland Senior Championship quarter-final after completing Group A of the Brendan Martin Cup with a 2-14 to 1-7 win over Mayo at O’Moore Park on Saturday.
Already assured of a place in the knockout rounds following previous victories against Cavan and Tipperary, this game determined who was going to finish on top of the group and, in theory, give themselves a better shot at reaching the semi-final stage.
The Jackies did so with minimal fuss and Clondalkin’s Hannah Tyrrell was once again at the heart of their 10-point triumph.
At the beginning of the campaign, the former Round Towers player registered five points in a convincing win at home to Cavan.
She was initially kept in reserve for a subsequent showdown with Tipperary, but emerged from the bench to kick a brace of points in a 1-11 to 0-6 success.
She added 0-3 to her seasonal tally on Saturday from full-forward as Dublin ended this initial phase of the All-Ireland series with a perfect record.
Ballinteer St John’s star Orlagh Nolan also featured at wing-back, while Tammy Quinn Corbally (Thomas Davis) and Natalia Hyland (Ballyboden St Enda’s) were included amongst the substitutes.
Although taking another step towards reclaiming their All-Ireland crown will be the primary motivation for Mick Bohan’s charges, an agonising National Football League semi-final reversal to Donegal earlier this year can also serve as fuel ahead of their encounter with the Ulster side on July 9.