Fintan’s stroll to county title
Big win in Junior ‘B’ final
ST. FINTAN’S hit top form on their way to a resounding victory over St. Brigid’s (Blackwater) in the Junior ‘B’ ladies’ football championship final in Farmleigh on Saturday.
Star of the show was the irrepressible Jess Howlin. Actually, that’s not completely true, as the full-forward was blunted for 20 minutes early in the second-half but only because her own management gave her a rest with the result beyond doubt.
Otherwise the deadly finisher racked up five majors and was a constant slasher cutting the youthful Blackwater defence apart.
It was tough on the losers, coming up against a side which looked far too strong for the lowest level of adult football in the county, but they battled away gamely.
Indeed, they only allowed St. Fintan’s to notch 1-5 after the break, having fallen 7-8 to 0-3 in arrears in the first period.
In fairness, that was partly helped by the rolling substitutions that made the game almost unwatchable in the second-half, with in excess of 30 changes made in 60 minutes of football.
The result was beyond doubt after the opening quarter. Howlin had two of her goals scored inside seven minutes, Emily Coakley added a couple of tidy finishes to those majors, and Fiona Brauneisen notched a pair of points to make it 4-4 to nil.
Whenever Blackwater threatened something special in the firsthalf it was invariably the talented youngster Emma Berry doing the damage.
The attacker popped over a couple of points and forced Mary Rose Kelly into a smart save as her side had a better spell.
Aisling Berry also registered for Blackwater but, after their breather, St. Fintan’s began to motor again.
Howlin netted twice more by the 24th minute and Orla Boggan also fired past Marie Sutton for goal number seven.
Former county player Julie Coakley, who ended with five points, was the scorer-in-chief for St. Fintan’s in the second-half.
At the other end Ciara Byrne knocked over a point shortly before she was fouled and Aisling Murphy clipped the spot-kick over the crossbar.
It was fitting that the final score of the game, right in the final minute, was Howlin’s fifth goal.
She wasn’t back on the field long but it was the perfect way for St. Fintan’s to enter the Junior ‘A’ ranks, where they will surely be contenders next season with this group of players.
St. Fintan’s: Mark Rose Kelly; Catherine Devereux, Aoife Goldsmith, Leanne Hennessy; Tara Lambert, Julie Kelly, Emma Sinnott; Michelle Cullen, Julie Coakley (joint capt., 0-5); Emily Coakley (2-4), Laura Ross, Aisling Gouldson; Fiona Brauneisen (0-3), Jess Howlin (5-0), Orla Boggan (joint capt., 1-0). Subs. (rolling) - Ciara Murphy (0-1), Abi Sinnott, Róisín Furlong, Sarah O’Donoghue, Leanne McDonald, Ciara Frayne, Phillipa Murphy, Rebecca Foley.
Blackwater: Marie Sutton; Isobel Carroll, Niamh Gibbons (capt.), Niamh O’Brien; Yvonne Power, Andrea Power, Aisling Murphy (0-1 pen.); Róisín Roche, Katie McGuinness; Emma Berry (0-2), Aisling Byrne, Aisling Berry (01); Fiona Kelly, Julia Molloy, Hannah Carroll. Subs. - Ciara Byrne (0-1), Lucy Purcell, Caitríona Roche, Maura Molloy, Katie Lillis, Ciara Dixon, Emma Rath, Siobhán Byrne, Laura Kehoe.
Referee: Fintan O’Reilly (Kilmore).