FOOTBALL: LADIES NATIONAL LEAGUE
Ladies back to winning ways
DIVISION 1
Mayo 2-6
Meath 0-9
Daire Walsh
NAVAN
MAYO ladies manager Michael Moyles cut a content figure after his side recorded their first win in this season’s Lidl National Football Division 1 league at Pairc Tailteann on Saturday.
Following narrow losses to Cork, Kerry and Waterford in the previous three rounds, Moyles’ charges had the measure of All-Ireland champions Meath in their own backyard.
Four points adrift at half-time, Mayo registered 2-2 without reply on the restart to ultimately turn the tie on its head.
In addition to conceding seven goals across their previous three games, the westerners had also failed to raise a green flag. Their fortune changed significantly against the Royals, however, with second half goals from Maria Cannon and Rachel Kearns getting them over the line on this occasion.
“It’s pleasing because it’s a thing that we’ve been working on constantly. The longer that goes on, the more it works into the mindset of players. Not to concede a goal and score two is pleasing,” Moyles remarked after the game.
“I suppose that bit of luck that we were lacking over the last couple of games, we probably got today. That’s the way that football goes. There’s very little between the teams in Division 1. The ’45’ [from Kearns] that ended up in the back of the net was the difference between the teams and that is that small bit of luck.”
It had been a promising start to the action for Mayo as a free from Knockmore’s Shauna Howley was followed up by a similar effort from Burrishoole attacker Maria Cannon. Yet Meath subsequent settled into their stride and were in the ascendancy thanks to three points in quick succession from Niamh O’Sullivan (two) and Meadhbh Byrne.
The Royals continued to pose a strong attacking threat at the opposite end and three more scores on the bounce from midfielder Aoife Minogue, Ciara Smyth and O’Sullivan gave them a firm stranglehold on the proceedings.
Mayo had dropped a number of shots into the arms of opposition netminder Monica McGuirk, before Sinead Walsh bagged their first point from play in the 25th minute.
A second Byrne score for Meath left Mayo 0-7 to 0-3 in arrears at the interval, but the visitors were galvanised by the introduction of Kathryn Sullivan and Rachel Kearns off the bench.
The latter was to make a telling impact, but first it was left for Howley to get Mayo back up and running with a 37th-minute free. Mayo capitalised on some defensive hesitancy from Meath moments later and Cannon fired a close-range shot to the net.
This suddenly wiped out the Meath advantage and the travelling Mayo supporters were in a joyous mood once again on 42 minutes.
Kearns stepped forward to take a ’45’ and although there may have been a slight deflection, the McHale Rovers ace was credited with a goal that had them back in front.
Howley’s third point of the game moved Mayo four clear inside the final-quarter, in advance of Stacey Grimes finally conjuring Meath’s first score of the second period on 53 minutes. The Royal full-forward doubled her tally in the closing moments, but with Kearns kicking an excellent score of their own, Mayo had enough in reserve to come away with three valuable points.
While they will seek to build on this excellent result, Dublin (the team Meath stopped from completing five successive All-Ireland senior titles in 2021) will pose another major challenge for the green and red at the DCU Sportsgrounds next Saturday.
Galway and Donegal will then await them in the final two rounds of their top-flight campaign, but these are precisely the kind of games Moyles wants his side to be involved in at this time of year.
“The league for us is about learning more about ourselves to bring into the championship. Whatever that takes. We’ve a big challenge again in Dublin next week. Then Galway and Donegal. There’s four big games there for us, but this is a help. It just builds a small bit of belief that was lacking over the last couple of weeks,” Moyles added.
MAYO
L Brennan; E Ronayne, C McManamon, D Caldwell; L Wallace, C Needham, H Reape; F McHale, S Cafferky; S Howley (0-3, 3f), T Needham, M Cannon (1-1, 0-1f); L Cafferky, M Reilly, S Walsh (0-1).
Subs used: K Sullivan for Wallace (h-t), R Kearns (1-1, 1-0 ’45’) for S Cafferky (36), S Mulvihill for Cannon (43), E Brennan for Reape (49), T O’Connor for Reilly (51).
MEATH
M McGuirk; A Sheridan, MK Lynch, K Newe; N Gallogly, S Melia, A Cleary; M O’Shaughnessy, A Minogue (0-1); M Thynne, M Byrne (0-2), C Smyth (0-1); A Leahy, S Grimes (0-2, 2f), N O’Sullivan (0-3).
Subs used: O Gore for Cleary (30-31, blood), Gore for Melia (43), A Sherlock for Leahy (45), R Casserole for Byrne (49), O Mallon for Smyth (51).
Referee: E Cuthbert (Down).