Killarney and Na Gaeil won ladies county titles
KILLARNEY are the 2018 County Senior Ladies champions after a rip roaring one point victory over Rathmore at Legion GAA field last Sunday. The Dr Crokes / Fossa / Spa outfit had to call on every ounce of determination to pull through in the finish in a game that exemplified everything that is good in championship football.
In games as tight as this there has to be a heroine and Killarney had one in the shape of young substitute Niamh Stack. The Dr Crokes Under 16 player made a marked impression when she entered the game and her excellent point from the right hand side in the 55th minute proved to be the match winner as Rathmore tried in vain to manufacture an equaliser.
The game didn’t start well for the Killarney side and Rathmore went three points to nil ahead after eight minutes, thanks to two free kicks from Noreen Murphy and one from play by her sister Eileen.
Killarney replied a minute later with an Amanda Brosnan free kick. The combination side were wasteful in possession though, and Rathmore pushed 0-4 to 0-1 ahead when Noreen Murphy pointed following a good pass from the impressive Caroline Reen.
The game appeared to be slipping away from Killarney, but they responded brilliantly and scored 3 points between the 15th and 18th minutes to level the contest, with Mairead Finnegan, Amanda Brosnan and Kate Stack doing the honours.
It was now Killarney’s turn to dominate and with Loreta Maher, Kate Maher, Anna O’Reilly and Meghan Kiely especially prominent, they lorded possession for the next 10 minutes. They failed to trouble the scoreboard however, and Rathmore landed two points from Eileen and Noreen Murphy to leave them 0-6 to 0-4 ahead at the half-time break.
Killarney started the second half with all guns blazing and two pointed frees from Amanda Brosnan and Kate Stack levelled the game. Centre half-back Aislinn Desmond began to take the fight to Killarney, and Katie Buckley pushed Rathmore one ahead in the 34th minute.
Cassandra Buckley then saw yellow – and the sin bin – for Killarney, but they responded well to this set back when the hard working Amanda Brosnan pointed to level the game once more.
Rathmore didn’t have the advantage of an extra player for long as Mary Collins also visited the sin bin two minutes later. From this point on Killarney started to take control of proceedings.
Points from the flying Anna Clifford and Kate Stack pushed them two ahead and seemingly in control. Rathmore are known for their never say die attitude and refused to wilt.
Desmond, Aoife O’Callaghan and Katie Buckley took the fight to their opponents and they were rewarded when the excellent Noreen Murphy slotted over two points to level the game yet again.
It was anybody’s game now, but with 5 minutes remaining on the clock up stepped super sub Niamh Stack with a golden point to nudge Killarney one ahead. Rathmore tried desperately to find an equalise in the dying minutes, but the Killarney defence stood firm, and as the final whistle sounded they emerged as 2018 senior county champions.
KILLARNEY: Linda Bruggener, Anna O’Reilly, Kate Maher, Gina Crowley, Meghan Kiely, Kayleigh Cronin, Cassandra Buckley, Loretta Maher, Amanda Brosnan (0-4, 3f), Erica McGlynn, Kate Stack (03,1f), Mairead Finnegan (0-1), Lynn Jones Subs: Niamh Stack (0-1) for L Jones, 43, Katie Talbot for M Finnegan, 55 RATHMORE: Sinead Warren, Sarah Murphy, Laoise Coughlan, Rachel Fitzgerald, Norma O’Mahony, Aislinn Desmond, Mary Collins, Kate O’Mahony, Katie Buckley (0-1), Brid Ryan, Caroline Reen, Aoife O’Callaghan, Danielle O’Leary, Noreen Murphy (0-6,5f), Eileen Murphy (0-2) Subs: Aileen Sheehan for E Murphy, 45, Chloe Fitzgerald for L Coughlan, 48, Susan Cahill for K O’Mahony, 55.
REFEREE: Mike Hennessy (Ballyduff)