Brave show from Mary’s U15 girls
DESPITE a gallant effort on the day, St Mary’s, Saggart were on the receiving end of a 3-3 to 2-2 defeat at the hands of Na Dubh Ghall in the Dublin Ladies Football U15 Single Code Cup Blue decider last Saturday, reports Daire Walsh.
Following their triumph in last month’s U15 Division Six Shield final – an 8-2 to 1-8 victory over Lucan Sarsfields at 12th Lock – this Mary’s side were looking to add another piece of silverware to their 2022 haul. The fact the game was taking place on their home pitch of Pairc Mhuire in Saggart looked set to be a massive help, but Na Dubh Ghall were in a confident mood themselves ahead of the game.
Based out of Baldoyle, they are a club that are on the up with teams competing across a variety of age grades in both the GAA and the LGFA. Although severely depleted for this encounter, Na Dubh Ghall stormed into an early 0-3 to 0-0 lead.
The Mary’s defence dug deep as the interval approached, only for Na Dubh Ghall to add the opening goal of the game from the penalty spot. Mary’s netminder Amanda Hendricken was agonisingly close to turning away this set-piece effort, but her side were ultimately six points adrift at the interval.
Nevertheless, the hosts eventually opened their account through an Ava Keane point and she quickly followed up with a goal to leave Mary’s firmly in contention. Gracie Gregg was unfortunate to have a close-range finish ruled out for a square ball and had this major been allowed to stand, it could have altered the course of the game.
While Mary’s cut the deficit to the bare minimum, Na Dubh Ghall responded with a second goal to give themselves some breathing space once again. Yet when Ella Furlong found the opposition net herself moments later, it presented Mary’s with a fighting chance of success in the latter stages.
The prospect of extra-time was beginning to loom large at this point, particularly with Mary’s coming to grips with the challenge that Na Dubh Ghall were posing.
However, the decisive score of the game fell the way of the visiting team – a third goal giving Na Dubh Ghall an edge over Mary’s in the end. While the Saints did come up short in the end, it still goes down as a very productive season overall for the Saggart girls.