Ladies power to Leinster final after big victory
O’Rourke’s side power to Leinster final clash with Laois
THE remarkable journey of the Wicklow ladies football team continued in resounding fashion in Pearse Park in Longford on Sunday afternoon last when Mick O’Rourke’s charges booked their place in the Leinster Intermediate final thanks to a complete dismantling of a weakened home side.
All is certainly not well within Longford ladies football if anecdotal evidence is to be believed and with some key players missing from action for the visit of Wicklow, last year’s Division 4 winners were always going to be in trouble given the momentum the Garden County were carrying into the clash as they looked to continue their unbeaten run.
And yet despite their comprehensive victory there will be plenty of food for thought for the Wicklow maangement ahead of the Leinster final meeting with Laois in Netwatch Cullen Park at 2pm on July 1 in terms of improvements to be made and concerns raised by certain aspects of the play in Pearse Park.
Wicklow kicked 11 wides in this game and were turned over 21 times. It was a day for the turnover with Longford accruing 22 on their balance sheet as both teams were found guilty of poor passes as they built from defence to attack through the hands.
The initial moves from the back were promising as the likes of Emily Mulhall, Sarah Jane Winder and the excellent Aoife Gillen thwarted plenty of attacks and looked to get Wicklow on to the front foot. However, it was the passes beyond their own 45 that betrayed their early endeavour and gave Longford a foothold in the game they shouldn’t really have had given the gulf between the sides.
A key element of the victory for Wicklow was that aforementioned full-back line with Gillen really catching the eye over the 60 minutes. Add to that the halfback line of Alanna Conroy, Sarah Hogan (who took some hard knocks in the opening half), and the hard-working Lorna Fusciardi who was superb on the day until replaced after 48 minutes and it’s easy to see why Longford amassed only four points and four wides in 60 minutes.
Mick O’Rourke’s midfield partnership gave him plenty of reasons to smile on Sunday as they horsed their way through a ferocious amount of work around the middle. Sarah Miley toiled hard and added plenty to the Wicklow attack while Niamh McGettigan really took this game by the scruff of the neck and built a fine performance on top of the tremendous work in the game against Meath.
A total of 3-13 will win plenty of games but the Wicklow attack will know they could have had 6-13 at least and while it’s a real positive to see the chances being created, against a more miserly defence those chances will have to be taken.
The visitors to an overcast Pearse Park had the brighter of starts with an early 1-1 after five minutes, the goal from Laura Hogan who blasted beautifully to the bottom corner of Michelle Kilkenny’s net, the point from the sharp Amy Murphy at corner-forward.
Longford’s key player, Aoife Darcy, opened their account in between that 1-1 for Wicklow but she would pick up a yellow card after 22 minutes of this game and although Longford scored half their total tally and Wicklow only bagged a goal during her absence it was still a blow they could have really done without.
Great work from Niamh McGettigan allowed Amy Murphy the chance to grab her second of the game after six minutes and then Laura Hogan fired over 60 seconds later and Wicklow were on their way.
Three Wicklow wides and numerous lost opportunities followed in a very messy phase of the game that was finally put to bed when Amy Murphy grabbed her third of the afternoon with a fine score. Emer Heaney went wide for Longford and then Aoife Darcy picked up a yellow card and you got the feeling that Longford’s goose was well and truly cooked.
Lauren Burke and Emer Heaney added two points for the home side, the only problem was that they came either side of Meadhbh Deeney’s wicked goal after excellent work along the end line by Amy Murphy whose initial shot was saved by Michelle Kilkenny, but the rebound fell sweetly to Deeney who had ran an intelligent line and she blasted to the back of the Longford net, 2-4 to 0-2, 26 gone in the first half.
Wicklow had collected eight wides by the time the half-time whistle sounded, five of them in the last nine minutes.
Mick O’Rourke’s charges didn’t relent in the second half. Meadhbh Deeney (free) and Laura Hogan pointed before Jackie Kinch’s punched goal was ruled out due to the Tinahely titan being in the small rectangle.
But it was all Wicklow now. Miley and McGettigan had a complete stranglehold around the middle of the field and Miley swung over a beauty of a point after 11 minutes thanks to some great work from Marie Kealy.
A Deeney wide was followed by a Jackie Kinch point and then Claire Walsh and Rose Fagan were sent into the fray just before a shot for a point (we think) from Marie Kealy fooled Michelle Kilkenny and ended up in the back of the Longford net having went in off the top of the upright just below the crossbar, 3-8 to 0-3.
This was a devastating blow to Longford with 11 minutes left in the game.
Saoirse O’Reilly entered the arena after 22 minutes as Meadhbh Deeney began to dominate and the Wicklow sharpshooter added the next three scores (two frees) with the home side hoping for the final whistle to put an end to their misery.
If Mick O’Rourke was looking for positives from the last five minutes he will consider the fact that his side never took the foot off the pedal and he will point to Claire Walsh tormenting the Longford defence and raising two white flags to finish Wicklow’s scoring at 3-13 to Longford’s 0-4.
At the same time as Wicklow were waltzing to the Leinster decider the women of Laois and Wexford were engaged in a fierce battle in Enniscorthy.
Trailing by six points with 20 minutes to go, things were looking bad for Kevin Doogue’s side, but huge performances from some key players including goalkeeper Fiona Kelly, who made a string of fine saves, and Emma Lawlor and Eva Galvin who came up with the all-important goals to secure a 2-11 to 1-13 victory over the Model County.
Laois finished third from bottom in Division 2 of the league, losing five and winning two of their seven games played while conceding 151 points along the way. Wicklow will fully understand the challenge that awaits them on the hard sod of Netwatch Cullen Park on July 1, but they will also know that there are weaknesses in the O’Moore County side and that they are 60 minutes from Leinster Intermediate glory and continuing this glorious unbeaten run.
This promises to be a belter of a game and the county women need your support. Netwatch Cullen Park at 2pm in July 1. Be there.
Scorers – Wicklow: Meadhbh Deeney 1-4 (2f), Laura Hogan 1-2, Amy Murphy 0-3, Marie Kealy 1-00, Claire Walsh 0-2, Jackie Kinch 0-1, Sarah Miley 0-1.
Longford: Aoife Darcy 0-2 (1f), Lauren Burke 0-1, Emer Heaney 0-1.
Wicklow: Kim Connors; Emily Mulhall, Sarah Hane Winder, Aoife Gillen; Alanna Conroy, Sarah Hogan, Lorna Fusciardi; Niamh McGettigan, Sarah Miley; Meadhbh Deeney, Jackie Kinch, Laurie Ahern; Marie Kealy, Laura Hogan, Amy Murphy. Subs: Claire Walsh for Laura Hogan (48), Rose Fagan for Lorna Fusciardi (48), Saoirse O’Reilly for S Miley (52).
Longford: Michelle Kilkenny; Zoe Gallagher, Leanne Keegan, Ailish Noonan; Catriona Moore, Máiread Moore, Emer Heaney; Máiread Reynolds, Claire Farrell; Sarah Reynolds, Aoife Darcy, Aisling Cosgrove; Niamh Feeney, Cait Murphy, Lauren Burke. Subs: Eimear O’Brien for A Cosgrove (37), Maria Kelleher for Z Gallagher (42).