Ward: ‘It is just an unbelievable feeling to be part of this group and also to be involved with this team’
Kilkerrin-Clonberne manager Willie Ward said they produced their best display of the year when it mattered most as they captured the currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Senior Club Championship crown for the third year in a row at Croke Park.
The Galway champions were dominant throughout as their clinical display was too much for a Ballymacarbry side bidding for their first crown since they won their tenth title in 1998.
“I think the team, their performance today was worthy of Croke Park,” said Ward. “The interplay between them, the shooting, the score-taking was excellent all day long. It was great that we brought our best game today and we needed to. Ballymacarbry were good and they had a good plan.
“They worked hard, but we managed to outwork them. We just had that few extra good players that made the difference at the end.
“Since the semi-final, we just worked on what we’d have to do today. Worked on how we’d contain Ballymacarbry and how we’d create chances for ourselves. Everything was focused on this game.
“There was no talk about three in-a-row or being in Croke Park, or anything. Just a total focus on this game, this team. Doing what we had to do and keep everyone grounded. In fairness, the way the players approached the game in the end, that’s the way they did it.
“It is just an unbelievable feeling to be part of this group and also to be involved with this team. They’re just so hard working and talented. Their desire to win is amazing all the time. It’s just amazing to be involved with them. The pride we have in them is amazing.”
Until now, Ballymacarbry was the only club to have collected more than two All-Ireland senior ladies titles on the bounce. The Galway side have some way to go to replicate the seven consecutive victories that Ballymac picked up from 1989 to 1995, but with Eva Noone, Lynsey Noone and Chloe Miskell all in outstanding form, they continued their current run of success in fine style.
While Kilkerrin-Clonberne started the game brightly with points from Miskell and Eva Noone, both of these efforts were cancelled out by Ballymac duo Kellyann Hogan (free) and Clare Walsh.
The Tribeswomen were largely on top of possession in the opening quarter, however, and moved four points ahead with 0-2 salvos apiece from their ever-reliable attackers Eva Noone and Olivia Divilly.
Willie Ward’s charges laid down a marker in the first half of last year’s decider against Donaghmoyne and maintained their stranglehold on this game as it wore on. Nicola Ward strode forward brilliantly from centre half-back to kick an excellent 20th minute point, before Lynsey Noone raised white flags either side of her sister Eva registering a fourth score for the title holders.
Waterford footballer Hogan finally disrupted this scoring sequence with another place-ball effort, only for another sublime Lynsey Noone point to give Kilkerrin-Clonberne a commanding 0-11 to 0-3 buffer at the break.
Lynsey Noone picked up where she left off on the restart with a point off another patient attacking move and her equally capable sibling Eva also split the uprights again after producing a superb dummy solo moments later. Miskell had been a potent threat for Kilkerrin-Clonberne up to this stage, but she really came to life with four points in succession to move her side into an insurmountable 0-17 to 0-3 lead on 46 minutes.
A magnificent Clare Walsh goal was surrounded by points from Aileen Wall, Hogan (three) and Brid McMaugh (two) as Ballymac eventually built up a head of steam in the closing-quarter, but a sixth point from Eva Noone during this juncture ensured Kilkerrin-Clonberne emerged as deserving winners.
: E Noone 0-6 (1f), C Miskell 0-5, L Noone 0-4, O Divilly 0-2 (1f), N Ward 0-1.
: K Hogan 0-5 (4f), C Walsh 1-1, B McMaugh 0-2, A Wall 0-1.
: L Murphy; C Costello, S Gormally, C Dunleavy; K Mee, N Ward, L Finnegan; S Divilly, H Noone; O Divilly, L Ward, L Noone; E Noone, C Miskell, N Divilly.
: M Flanagan for Gormally (44), A Madden for N Divilly (55), Caoimhe Boyle for Finnegan, Caitlin Boyle for E Noone (both 58).
: L Fitzpatrick; G Nugent, M McGrath, Maeve Ryan; K McGrath, L Ryan, R Browne; K Hogan, A Barron; A Wall, B McMaugh, S Hallinan; S Peters, C Walsh, M Boyce.
G Carrigan for Boyce (h-t), Michelle Ryan for Barron (41), O Barron for Maeve Ryan (55).
Maggie Farrelly (Cavan).