Ladies demolish Deise to reach Munster Final
TG4 LADIES MUNSTER SFC SEMI-FINAL
Kerry 2-16 Waterford 1-6
A MARVELLOUS second half performance propelled the Kerry senior ladies into the Munster Championship final in balmy conditions at Fitzgerald Stadium last Sunday. Defending champions Kerry put a lethargic first half performance behind them to outscore their opponents by 1-12 to 1-2 in a dominant display in front of a large and appreciative home audience, many of whom had come early to catch a glimpse of ladies football for the first time.
Kerry were thankful to goals from Sarah Houlihan and Andrea Murphy either side of half time as they seemed to find an extra gear when it mattered the most. Houlihan, in particular, was a thorn in the Waterford side throughout the game and her scoring tally of 1-9 was a testament to her power packed performance. This, allied to a ferocious work ethic throughout the whole team were the deciding factors in ensuring that Kerry would emerge victorious.
Kerry were thankful to take a 1-4 to 0-4 lead in at the break having been on the back foot for most of the first half. Some really poor shooting from Waterford cost them dearly in this period as they kicked 8 wides, but credit must also be given to the Kerry defence for putting the pressure on the Deise attackers. Waterford led by 2 points to one after 15 minutes with Houlihan scoring a fine point from play, with the Waterford scores coming from an Eimear Fennell free and the dangerous Michelle Ryan, who forced Kerry netminder Laura Fitzgerald to make a fine finger tip save. A brace of scores from Houlihan nudged Kerry 3 points to 2 ahead, but with Karen McGrath getting on some good ball around the middle of the field, Waterford looked the better team at this stage of the game. Kerry then suffered a body blow in the 13th minute when ace attacker Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh had to go off injured with a shoulder injury. Kerry made light of the Corca Dhuibhne girls loss, and got the break that they needed in the 26th minute when the hard working Andrea Murphy turned over a Waterford ball, and after a strong run through the middle her pass found Sarah Houlihan who was fouled for a penalty. Houlihan dusted herself down and stuck the penalty low to Grainne Kenneally’s right side to give Kerry a 1-3 to 0-2 lead. It looked like Kerry would kick on at this point, but two bad turnovers from restarts cost them dearly as Eimear Fennell slotted over two points in succession to bring them back into the game. There was still time for Houlihan, who was Kerry’s only scorer in the first half, to point a free, and they took a fortunate 3 point lead in at the break.
Kerry made an excellent start to the second half and points by Houlihan, from play and a free, and the industrious Emma Dineen, pushed them 6 ahead. They now had much more structure in attack and Dineen in particular was getting on a lot of ball. Likewise, Lorraine Scanlon was beginning to give a tour de force around the middle of the field. When the Kerry defence was tested, Eilis Lynch, Aishling O’Connell and Sarah Murphy were most prominent, with Murphy beginning to dominate the dangerous Michelle Ryan.
A superb interchange of passes between Andrea Murphy and Dineen led to Murphy scoring Kerry’s second goal in the 44th minute, and with Sarah Houlihan adding another point from the kick out, Kerry stormed into a 2-8 to 0-4 lead. It really was game over at this stage as Kerry held all the aces, and the sides traded 2 points each, with Andrea Murphy’s effort after a fine solo run being particularly noteworthy. Substitute Aoife O’Callaghan then got in on the act before Lorraine Scanlon with 3 fine efforts capped an excellent performance from the Castleisland Desmonds girl. Maria Delahunty goaled for Waterford at the death, but it mattered little as Kerry powered on to a Munster Final showdown against old rivals Cork, on the 23rd June.
Kerry can look back on the win as a job well done. They were strong and disciplined in defence, whilst Amanda Brosnan and Lorraine Scanlon appeared to compliment each other well at midfield. The Kerry management will be worried about an over reliance on Sarah Houlihan in attack however, and a broader spread of scorers will be needed if they are to defeat the rebels. On the other hand, Andrea Murphy and Emma Dineen really came alive as top class inter county footballers, and that is a huge positive. Also, the indications are that Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh’s shoulder injury isn’t as serious as first thought, and she will possibly will be fit enough to play in the Munster final. KERRY: Laura Fitzgerald, Laoise Coughlan, Sarah Murphy, Eilis Lynch, Deirdre Kearney, Aislinn Desmond, Aishling O’Connell, Lorraine Scanlon (0-3, 1f), Amanda Brosnan, Amy Foley, Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh, Emma Dineen (0-1), Andrea Murphy (1-2), Eilis O’Leary, Sarah Houlihan (1-9; 1-0 pen, 6f). Subs: Siobhan Burns for L Ni Mhuircheartaigh (inj, 13), Kate O’Sullivan for S Burns (47), Aoife O’Callaghan (0-1) for A Brosnan (48), Clodagh O’Connor for A Foley (56), Meabh Barry for A Murphy (58).
WATERFORD: Grainne Kenneally, Rebecca Casey, Michelle McGrath, Kate McGrath, Mairead Wall, Carragh McCarthy, Megan Dunford, Karen McGrath, Katie Murray, Aoife Murray, Michelle Ryan (0-1), Lauren McGregor (0-1f), Aileen Wall, Eimear Fennell (0-2, 1f), Keeley Corbett Barry. Subs: Sinead Ryan for E Fennell (39), Aisling Mullaney for C McCarthy (47), Maria Delahunty (1-1) for K Murray (47), Caoimhe McGrath (0-1) for L McGregor (53).
REFEREE: Jason Mullins (Limerick)