Boston Shamrocks 4-11 Tír na nÓg 6-18
The opening game of the Ladies senior football championship was
a keenly contested affair that remained close until there was less than 5
minutes to go. Two late goals sealed it
as Tír na nÓg's superior fitness saw them through in the end.
 |
| Caroline Nee Shoots for Tir na nOg |
A very entertaining first half saw the Brighton
ladies net three times, the first goal coming right after the throw in from
full forward Jennifer Kelly. Kelly
proved a major threat for the first 20 minutes, accounting for another 3
points. Tír na nÓg always looked
dangerous in possession, and built up an early lead. Further scores came from Caroline Nee, Maggie
Sayers, and Tessa Mullins.
With Tír na nÓg overrunning their defences, some committed
tackling in their own half back line pulled the Shamrocks back into the
game. Trailing by 9 points mid-way
through the half, a goal from center forward Linda Cronin signaled a comeback. Another goal and four points, to one point
from their opponents, brought the Shamrocks level by the time the half time
whistle sounded. There were a couple of
let offs for the Shamrocks as first Kelly, and then Sayers fizzed shots just
wide, a harbinger of things to come later in the game. At the break it was 3-7 to 2-10, and the game
was finely set up for the second half.
 |
| Sharon McGovern looks for help. |
The sides traded goals to get the second period going. First it was Kelly for Tír na nÓg, and
Danielle Hallahan responded in kind for the Shamrocks.Each side buckled down,
with the Shamrocks full back line doing well to absorb a lot of pressure. Eventually the pressure told as the Brighton side banged in 2 goals in quick succession. Kelly and Ciara O'Connor netted and the four
point difference grew to 10 points as the game entered the final stretch. The Shamrocks battled to the end, but at the
end of the day it was a well earned win for the Brighton
side.
Before the game there was a minutes silence in memory of
Sharon McDonnell, sister of Ann Marie McDonnell, who sadly passed away recently
in Ireland .
Shamrocks: N.
Donovan, L. Larkin, D. Kearney, B. McGuire, N. Fennell, B. Devlin, S. McGovern,
S. McGaugh, M. Cotterell, D. Hallahan, L. Cronin, K. Scanlon, C. McGovern, L.
McCrystal, C. Byrne. Tír na nÓg: N. Hynes, E. Healy, L. Brick, A. Potts, N.
O'Neill, A. Taylor, N. Daly, D. Sullivan, J. Moore, T. Mullins, C. Nee, L.
Bergin, M. Sayers, J. Kelly, C. O'Connor.
By Rory O'Donnell
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