ALL-IRELAND UNDER-16 LADIES FOOTBALL ‘A’ SEMI-FINAL
Cavan can be proud despite disappointing end to season
CAVAN………………………………….. 0-02
DUBLIN…………………………………… 6-13
Daire Walsh
DESPITE the best efforts of Lurgan netminder Amy Gaynor, Cavan ultimately came off second best in the All-Ireland Under-16 Ladies Football ‘A’ Semi-Final at Donaghmore/Ashbourne GAA Club on Saturday afternoon, as the combined forces of attackers Emma Colgan and Amy Conroy inspired Dublin towards a commanding victory over the Breffni girls. This was a disappointing end to the championship campaign for Fergal Brady’s charges, although having added an Under-16 Ulster title to their All-Ireland ‘B’ success of last year, they have reason to look back on 2013 with plenty of pride.
Given the pace and power of the Dublin side, Cavan were rank outsiders heading into this tie, but they did take the lead inside the opening minute when Killygarry corner-forward Rachel Talbot kicked a 25-metre free between the posts. Indeed, they managed to keep in touch with the Metropolitans during the opening stages, although the inevitable equaliser did arrive for the Sky Blues courtesy of half-forward Conroy just two minutes later.
The athleticism of Conroy was posing plenty of problems for the Cavan rearguard, and she soon broke through for her second point of the contest in between similar efforts from Shauna O’Hara and the diminutive Colgan. This helped to edge Dublin into a three-point cushion with ten minutes gone on the clock, and with Colgan quickly adding a second excellent score to her tally, the Leinster champions were threatening to pull away from their northern counterparts.
Enterprising
In fact, Cavan could have fallen further behind after 17 minutes when another enterprising run by Conroy set-up full-forward O’Hara for a shot at goal, but Gaynor produced a terrific point-blank save. Around the same time, Katie Fitzpatrick had a potential goal-scoring opportunity, but sharp defence by Dublin brought an end to this particular attack. This was a minor let-off for Pat Kane’s team, but Dublin were the dominant outfit during the opening period, and with Colgan registering a third point in the 23rd minute, Cavan were facing into a five-point deficit (0-6 to 0-1) heading into the second half. Cavan were somewhat fortunate that they were still within touching distance of their opponents at this stage, as Dublin had been quite wasteful at times, and Gaynor was continuing to perform admirably as the last line of the Breffni defence.
With this in mind, Cavan were eager to take the game to Dublin upon the resumption, and Talbot once more opened the half’s scoring from a placed-ball situation, this time from a distance of 21 metres.
It was hoped that this would give them the incentive to cut even further into the Dublin lead, but Gaynor had to be called into action once again after 33 minutes to turn away a right-footed attempt at goal by the excellent Conroy.
Relief
The Breffni faithful breathed a sigh of relief on this occasion, but Dublin were slowly re-affirming their superiority, and with half-forward Aoife Kane coming to life with three fantastic points from right-hand angles, they were eight points to the good heading into the final 20 minutes of play. Despite struggling to create openings inside the opposition ‘45’, Cavan still had a fighting chance of forcing their way back into the reckoning, but their prospects of producing a memorable comeback effectively evaporated when Dublin finally raised a green flag on the 45th minute mark.
Colgan of St Margaret’s applied the finishing touches to this move, and she was also on hand to secure her side’s second major of the game seven minutes later, as Dublin were determined to send out a message of intent ahead of their upcoming All-Ireland decider. Conroy and substitute Lucia Hughes, in particular, were in the mood for more scores, and their successful three-point attempts in the 52nd and 53rd minutes respectively meant that Dublin had amassed an impressive four goals in eight minutes. Cavan’s challenge had become completely deflated by now, and with replacement Hannah O’Neill’s 1-1 contribution being complimented by a second goal from the magnificent Conroy in the closing stages, Dublin cruised towards a 29-point triumph.
CAVAN: Amy Gaynor (Lurgan); Ciara Brady (Lurgan), Caoimhe O’Reilly (Ballymachugh), Lucy McFarlane (Ballymachugh); Roisin Galligan (Castlerahan/Denn), Nessa Byrd (Crosserlough), Sarah Nulty (Lurgan); Catherine Dolan (Lurgan), Aoife Maguire (Lurgan); Aisling O’Hara (Shannon Gaels), Laura McKiernan (Belturbet), Katie Fitzpatrick (Belturbet); Rachel Talbot (Killygarry, 0-2, 2f), Hannah Duggan (Ballyhaise), Martha Coyle (Shercock).
Subs: Ciara Fitzpatrick (Drumlane) for O’Reilly (28), Geraldine Smith (Killygarry) for K Fitzpatrick (35), Niamh O’Shea (Killygarry) for McKiernan (48), Ailisha McEnroe for (Castlerahan/Denn) for Duggan (48).
DUBLIN: Cialann Carney; Ellie Halloran, Ciara Crotty, Niamh Donnelly; Hannah Hegarty, Lauren Magee, Rebecca McDonnell; Holly Greer, Niamh O’Neill; Aoife Kane (0-3), Sinead Collins, Amy Conroy (2-3); Ellen Curran, Shauna O’Hara (0-1), Emma Colgan (2-5, 0-1f).
Subs: Mia Jennings for Collins (41), Lucia Hughes (1-0) for O’Hara (43), Hannah O’Neill (1-1) for O’Kane (53), Louise Whelan for O’Neill (55), Zenousaka Murphy for McDonnell (57).
Referee: Brian McCallion (Tyrone).