Weekend Ladies Football Round Up
blogREIGNING champions Laois will take on Dublin in the TG4 Ladies Leinster senior football championship final on Sunday July 13 after both counties emerged victorious from their respective semi-finals last Saturday.
Laois proved far too good for Kildare, running out 5-16 to 2-5 winners, while Dublin were made to battle all the way by Meath before recording a 0-19 to 1-6 victory. Laois, chasing a second successive Leinster crown, will meet the Sky Blues at Dr. Cullen Park in the provincial decider while Meath and Kildare must now regroup for the qualifiers. At half-time, Dublin led a gallant Meath by 0-11 to 1-3 at the Naomh Mearnóg grounds in Portmarnock on Saturday evening.
Meath’s goal arrived midway through the first half when Alisha Jordan’s flick freed Elaine Duffy, who rounded goalkeeper Cliodhna O’Connor before finishing from close range. In fact, former Allstar O’Connor kept Dublin in the game in the first half with some good saves and the Metropolitans struggled immediately after half-time, going fully 15 minutes without a score despite enjoying plenty of possession.
O’Connor continued to defy Meath before a late purple patch of scores eventually saw Dublin through, as Sinéad Aherne led the way in the scoring stakes with a 0-9 haul. Lindsay Davey and substitute Karen Hopkins scored 0-2 each while Anne-Marie Murphy, Ciara Murphy and sub Kim Flood chipped in with a point apiece. Meath were well served by their twin scoring threats Gráinne Nulty and Elaine Duffy as Nulty registered 0-5 and Duffy 1-1.
Elsewhere, the superb Mary Kirwan helped herself to an incredible personal tally of 4-4 as Laois romped to victory against Kildare in Clane. Laois led by 2-8 to 2-3 at half-time but outscored their opponents 3-8 to 0-2 after the break to cruise into the final. Kildare started the game better and top-scorer Simone Gilabert had the ball in the net after just two minutes. The deadly Kirwan cancelled out that effort but Gilabert struck again for Kildare to hand them the lead midway through the half. Kirwan registered her second goal of an exciting half after 19 minutes and that score helped to open up a healthy interval lead. It was all Laois in the second half as Kirwan added her third and fourth goals of the game after Aileen O’Loughlin had converted a penalty awarded for a foul on the inspirational Kirwan.
Meanwhile, the draw for the All-Ireland senior qualifiers will take place at Croke Park on Monday afternoon, as part of the official championship launch.
Galway, Waterford, Armagh, Donegal, Down, Meath and Kildare go into the hat and as Leitrim have pulled out of the championship, one of the seven teams will receive a bye to Round 2.
by Jackie Cahill