ALL-IRELAND INTERMEDIATE LADIES FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND TWO
Early goals help Cavan ease into quarter-final
CAVAN………………………………………. 3-22
LONDON…………………………………….. 0-04
Daire Walsh
OPENING quarter goals by Grainne Smith and Aisling Doonan paved the way for Cavan’s success in Donaghmore/Ashbourne GAA Club on Saturday afternoon, as the Breffni girls booked their place in the quarter-final of the 2013 All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies Football Championship with an emphatic 27-point victory against an overwhelmed London at the county Meath venue.
Cavan will now face Waterford at the last-eight stage of the second-tier competition, and based on the evidence of this encounter, they will be hoping to at least replicate their achievements during the 2011 campaign, when they were beaten in a replay by Westmeath.
They certainly were the favourites against Leinster finalists London, and they got their account underway inside the opening 60 seconds, as corner-forward Caitriona Smith split the posts with the help of her trusty left boot. The Exiles did respond impressively with a couple of fine scores from Parnell’s pair Renee Murphy and Shona Barry, but Cavan quickly regained their lead thanks to a low finish to the back of Elaine Hayes’ net by pacey half-forward Grainne Smith.
To their credit, London were continuing to take the game to their Ulster adversaries, and they cut their deficit to the bare minimum with a fine point on the run by midfielder Helen Hughes. However, even though the game was only seven minutes old, this turned out to be London’s final score of the half, and when a Grainne Smith point was added to by a fortuitous 10th minute goal from a 35-metre free courtesy of Templeport full-forward Doonan, Cavan suddenly found themselves five points to the good.
Momentum
This provided Cavan with the momentum to push on for further scores, and by the 18th minute they had opened up an 11-point cushion thanks to fine points by half-back Sinead Greene (two), Claragh O’Reilly, Donna English, Doonan and Grainne Smith. The seven-week break since their provincial semi-final loss to Down certainly wasn’t having an adverse effect on Finian Farrell’s outfit, and despite coming up short with some promising attacks, subsequent points by Doonan (two), Grainne Smith, Bronagh Sheridan (two) and midfielder Rosie Crowe gave Cavan a seemingly insurmountable 17-point advantage (2-14 to 0-3) during the interval.
With their place in the next phase all but secured, even at this relatively early point in the contest, it would have been understandable if Cavan decided to ease off after the restart. They continued to play with plenty of intensity and confidence, however, and after registering points in quick succession through English and Caitriona Smith, Cavan added their third goal seven minutes into the half when Grainne Smith raised a green flag for the second time with another precise finish to the bottom corner.
Cushion
Much like the Cavan Under-16s in the game that preceded this clash, London were left demoralised as a result of this scoring burst, and when Grainne Smith, Doonan and Sheridan increased their personal tallies with points from play, the Breffni cushion stood at 25 points with 15 minutes still remaining. Sheridan’s third of the day ensured that Cavan had scored an incredible 2-18 without reply, but London finally brought a 41 minute scoring drought to a close when captain Hannah Noonan (one of eight Parnell’s players in Tommy Donohue’s line-up) converted a 21-metre free 12 minutes from time.
This only briefly halted the Cavan charge, though, and three of the side’s best performers on the day – English, Grainne Smith and Greene – all added to the scoreboard during the dying moments of the game. As the action drew to a close, Farrell and Gerry Sheridan (who operates as joint-manager with Farrell) opted to introduce a number of players from their substitutes’ bench, and it was no surprise that Cavan eased over the line in the end.
However, it was an outstanding display in general by the Cavan girls, and was a much-needed step in the right direction ahead of their meeting with 2012 finalists Waterford in the next round.
CAVAN: Caron Fay (Belturbet); Ciara O’Reilly (Castlerahan/Denn), Grainne McGlade (Aughawillan), Ciara Grey (St Joseph’s); Ailish Cornyn (St Francis), Rachael Jordan (Lavey), Sinead Greene (Templeport, 0-3); Donna English (Arva, 0-3), Rosie Crowe (Lacken, 0-1); Grainne Smith (Killygarry, 2-4), Claragh O’Reilly (Lurgan, 0-1), Mona Sheridan (Mullahoran); Aisling Doonan (Templeport, 1-4, 1-1f), Bronagh Sheridan (Drumlane, 0-3, 2f), Catriona Smith (0-3).
Subs: Patricia Lynch (Gowna) for Grey (46), Rachel Doonan (Templeport) for G Smith (52), Geraldine Sheridan (Mullahoran) for Crowe (52), Debbie Gaffney (Lacken) for Sheridan (52), Niamh Daly (Lurgan) for C Smith (55).
LONDON: Elaine Hayes; Cait McCarra, Niamh Murphy, Bernie Durkan; Caroline Benson, Sarah Quinn, Angela Kenneally; Hannah Noonan (0-1, 1f), Helen Hughes (0-1); Sinead McCooey, Renee Murphy (0-1, 1f), Shona Barry (0-1); Helen Murphy, Helen Stephens, Rebecca Mills.
Subs: Aine Flanagan for Durkan (36), Lauren Murray for Quinn (39), Shannon McDonagh for Murphy (43), Charlotte Faughnan for R Murphy (43).
Referee: Colm McManus (Meath).