All too easy for Dublin ladies against Cork
Dublin 2-11 Cork 0-6
Caoimhe O’Connor and Kate Sullivan grabbed goals in each half at DCU St Clare’s on Saturday as Dublin ladies bolstered their Lidl National Football League Division 1 prospects with an emphatic victory against Cork. Mick Bohan's reigning TG4 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship winners remain in contention for a league final spot ahead of their away encounter with Armagh next Saturday.
Despite showing plenty of endeavour throughout, this game represented Cork’s fifth consecutive reversal of 2024 and they will be battling to avoid relegation to Division 2 when they pay a visit to Meath on March 24.
While the Leesiders opened the scoring in this contest courtesy of a sixth-minute point from wing-forward Emma Cleary, Dublin responded with unanswered scores by Orlagh Nolan, Carla Rowe and Hannah Tyrrell (free).
Pointed frees from Ellie Jack and Abigail Ring brought Cork back on level terms just shy of the first-quarter mark, but Dublin created significant daylight when O’Connor fired clinically beyond the reach of Caoimhe Richmond for a goal on 19 minutes.
Marauding half-back Kate Murray and Rowe also found the range either side of another Ring free to propel Dublin towards a 1-5 to 0-4 interval cushion.
ALL TOO EASY FOR DUBLIN
On the resumption, Bohan introduced St Sylvester’s duo Sinead Aherne and Nicole Owens for their first appearances of the campaign - the latter featuring for the first time since their TG4 All-Ireland SFC quarter-final defeat to Donegal in July 2022.
Several other substitutes were added to the mix as the action progressed, but the hosts continued to defend and attack with confidence. A fine point from Aherne followed up a brace from Tyrrell and when Sullivan rattled the net from close range in the 47th minute, it effectively placed the outcome beyond doubt.
Annabelle Timothy and Chloe Darby (fresh from winning the Yoplait O’Connor Cup with DCU Dochas Eireann last weekend) also added their names to the scoresheet off the bench, before Cork finally responded with a Sadhbh McGoldrick point on 56 minutes.
Lydia McDonagh also split the uprights for the visitors late on, but a Sullivan score moments earlier ensured Dublin finished with 11 points to spare. S Leahy, E Twomey; E Jack (0-1f), A Healy, K O’Driscoll; M O’Callaghan, A O’Mahony; A McDonagh, L Coppinger, E Cleary (0-1); A Ring 0-2 (2f), H Looney, E Hurley. Subs: A Ryan for Jack, S O’Leary for Hurley (both h-t), S Cronin for O’Mahony, L McDonagh (0-1f) for Ring, D Kiniry for Twomey (both 42), K Redmond for A McDonagh (both 46), S McGoldrick (0-1) for Duggan, K Smith for O’Driscoll (both 53), M Burke for Coppinger (58).
Referee was Kevin Phelan (Laois).
DEPENDANT ON OTHER RESULTS
Cork manager, Shane Ronayne, knows they are no longer in control of their own destiny as they head to Meath for the final round.
“We’re depending on other results. Even if we won the game next week, we’d still be dependent on results in the next couple of games. We’re in this situation, we know we are. We’re hoping now next weekend against Meath that we can be a little bit better defensively, but we definitely have to be better offensively and hopefully we can do that.
“We had a very good 20 minutes, we were three points all and we were defending very well. I think the same thing that happened last week again, we played very well against Mayo for long periods, but our scoring rate is very, very poor. We’ve lost a lot of scoring forwards, but the forwards that are there now are going to have to step up to the plate.”
While Dublin manager, Mick Bohan, is looking forward to the meeting with Armagh.
“It makes it very interesting next weekend. It may be taken out of our hands whether we get into a National League final or not, but still it’s great to be playing the table-toppers Armagh in the last game.”