Ladies Gaelic Football Championship, Senior Qualification Match: Mullingar Shamrocks 3-13 Moate 3-9
Great news to report on this occasion as our senior Ladies Gaelic Football team fiercely defended their senior status with this victory against Moate. Westmeath’s status as a Division 1 county in the code has been evident by the quality of football on view throughout the championship and this match was no different. Great tackles, great scores, great saves and good quality football dominated the menu and the refereeing of Agnes Murtagh is also worthy of note. Agnes applied the rules with consistency and authority throughout.
Karen Hegarty opened the scoring for Shamrocks with a point after a bout of combined play but the Moate response was quick and spectacular. A run by Emma Collins split the Shamrocks defence and a great shot by Maria O’Donoghue dipped under the crossbar for a spectacular Moate goal. A great run by Tara Fagan found Karen Hegarty who supplied the final pass for Clara Thornton to point. Gemma Kerrigan also pointed but a high ball into the Shamrocks goal mouth was finished to the net by Emma Collins in the twelfth minute. Collins and Clare Killian added points to establish a five-point lead for Moate (2-2 to 0-3)
Things weren’t going well for Shamrocks at this stage but the necessary positional changes were made and the repair work proved to be effective. Melek Fagan began a marking job on Emma Collins and completely dominated the flying Moate player; Chloe Swarbrigg performed a similar task on Stacey Holloway who was equally influential to this point. Anna Jones well supported by Michelle Buckley and Áine Melody began to dominate the midfield area and after a great solo run, Anna released Karen Hegarty to score Shamrock’s opening goal. Karen then pointed from play and from a free, the latter awarded after Niamh Spellman was fouled after a penetrating solo run. The sides were level and when Karen Hegarty floated a free into the Moate goalmouth Anna Jones climbed into the air to direct the ball past the Moate goalkeeper. Moate responded with a pointed free but this was balanced by a Gemma Kerrigan point after more good work again by Anna Jones. A great save by Fiona Fox deprived Karen Hegarty of her second goal but a pointed free and two points from play by Karen after great passes from Clara Thornton extended the Shamrocks lead to six points (the second point also brought a superb save from Fiona Fox). Any doubts that might have existed about Karen’s recovery from the cruciate injury were well and truly dispelled by this first-half display in which she contributed 1-6 to the team total. (Karen’s back for sure!) Sarah McCormack scored a good long-range point for Moate before Agnes Murtagh called for half-time with Shamrocks leading by 2-9 to 2-4.
Moate scored the first two points after the interval before Karen Hegarty opened Shamrocks second-half account with a pointed free. Moate’s Mairead Fox pointed as did Clara Thornton from a Karen Hegarty pass before Clara provided the pass for Tara Fagan to point (2-12 to 2-7). Moate refused to surrender and initiated a series of raids on the Shamrocks goal. A few bad wides were costly but the Shamrocks defending was superb at this stage. Lauren McCormack saved brilliantly from Vanessa O’Brien and when the same player hit the upright her follow-up goal attempt was brilliantly and bravely blocked by Melek Fagan (the great Spike was reincarnated in this moment of skill and courage). Maria O’Donovan pointed and Sarah McCormack goaled to reduce the deficit to the minimum (3-8 to 2-12).
The Shamrock ladies weren’t for turning however and Carole Finch responded to the challenge and made a crucial intervention in the day’s play. The full-back collected the ball and soloed seventy yards unhindered and unstoppable to create an opportunity for Clara Thornton who crashed the ball to the Moate net. Maria O’Donoghue pointed a free, Melek Fagan produced another spectacular block before Carole Finch, Karen Hegarty and Anna Jones combined and when the latter was fouled Karen Hegarty pointed to complete the scoring and secure Mullingar Shamrocks senior status.
This was a superb team performance decorated with excellent individual performances. Retaining senior status was a just reward for the team and panel and manager Ciarán McKenna and his assistant Spike Fagan who worked so hard all year and were extremely unfortunate to lose two championship matches by the minimum margin and the third game by two points.
Congrats to all concerned.
Mullingar Shamrocks: Lauren McCormack; Melek Fagan, Carole Finch, Rachel Hannigan; Tara Fagan (0-1), Niamh Spellman, Niamh Kennedy (Susanna Buckley); Michelle Buckley and Áine Melody; Chloe Swarbrigg, Anna Jones (1-0), Gemma Kerrigan (0-2) [Liveta Lazauskaite]; Karen Hegarty (1-8), Lisa Burke (Faye Walsh) and Clara Thornton (1-2).
